Life in the Ruins
by gregesposito961
Summary: Starting from the Great Calamity, view the struggles of Hyrules survivors through the eyes of Monari, as he attempts to help rebuild society, and uncover the mystery of what caused the Great Calamity in the first place. He will encounter mysterious foes, and explore the Kingdom in the immediate aftermath of the devestation caused by Ganon.
1. Prologue

Battle of Fort Hateno

"INCOMING!"

The fort shook as it was hit by yet another blast of energy from one of the several guardians outside the walls. Fort Hateno had just come under attack, and the few men stationed there were beginning to be overwhelmed. It didn't take long. Just earlier today, the sun was shining, and Hateno has been graced with the princess and her appointed knight's arrival. It had been a great honor and the villages in Necluda celebrated. However, soon after they left the area, a great tremor shook the earth, and even sooner after that, Sheikah Guardians began to bombard the walls with concentrated energy beams.

Amidst the chaos sat a young boy, no older then 10 years old, hiding behind a couple of barrels, looking for his father. Monari has been visiting the fort where his father was stationed. He had asked for weeks before his mother finally allowed him to go. He was having the time of his life, talking to his father's friends, looking over the walls at the green pastures below, and seeing the grand Twin Peaks. Until the guardians arrived. His father had gone to assist another guard with a task and Monari was instructed to remain where he was. But when the Guardians attacked, he ran to hide behind these barrels for cover. He was frantically looking for his father to take him home. He was terrified and didn't want to be here anymore.

Through the sound of rain, shouting, and chaos, a familiar vice called out to him. Monari quickly flew from his hiding spot and ran towards the source of the voice. He rounded the corner to see his father searching frantically.

"I'm here papa! I'm here!" He shouted trying to get his fathers attention. When he was finally able to, his father ran up and swept him up in his arms, carrying Monari inside to safety. Once inside, his father set him down and approached a member of the Sheikah tribe. Monari wracked his brain trying to remember her name. Finally, it came to him; Purah. She was a scientist who lived just above Hateno Village. She looked shaken and confused as she looked out the window at the destruction.

"Purah!" his father shouted. "What's the meaning of this! Why are Sheikah weapons blasting this fort to pieces!?"

"I… I don't know..." she whispered.

"Well you better figure it out real damn soon. My men are being slaughtered out there! And reinforcements from the reserves in Hateno are still hours away!"

"This isn't supposed to be happening! Guardians are autonomous, yes. But they need to be given instructions in order to carry out a task. Someone must have programmed these guardians to attack us, but I cannot for the life of my think of who it could be!" She looked at his father. "You don't think its…"

"Its not the Calamity. It can't be. If it were our Champions would be stopping it right now. If you can't figure out how to make them stop, please at least tell us you have a way to defeat them!"

Purah's eyes lit up, almost in excitement. "I do! Of course. I'm so sorry, it's the entire reason I'm here! Quickly this way!"

Monari's father gestured for him to follow Purah and himself outside and out onto the road behind the fort walls. Purah started towards a large cart and lifted the tarp off the top. Inside were weapons, but no weapons Monari had ever seen.

"This is what Robbie and I have been working on ever since we heard the prophecy. We figured they would be of use to our Champions, but were going to have to use them now instead. Everyone, come grab what you can!"

Soldiers from around the fort swarmed Purah's cart, grabbing bows, sticks, and handles. They all looked confused until Purah instructed them on how to activate each device. Suddenly, the mob of soldiers was covered in a light blue haze as the Sheikah weapons sprung to life. Swords, spears, arrows, and axes, all made of shimmering blue energy. The soldiers, now armed with suitable weapons made their way back to the top of the wall. Volley after volley of arrows were fires over the top. Monari couldn't see what was happening, but he heard crashed and booms, as well as a couple of cheers from the men. The weapons must have been working.

The celebrating was a bit premature, however, as not soon after, an enormous blast from a guardian blew a giant crater in the wall of the fort, sending soldiers flying. Monari had only ever seen blood in tiny amounts when he scratched himself climbing trees. But he had never seen so much of it, all at once. The crimson liquid spewed from the bodies and seeped into the ground, turning the dirt into a bloody mud pile

"Purah, when you go back to the lab, take Monari, please! His house is on the way, but I need to get him out of here! It's not safe!"

Purah nodded and she moved to take Monari's hand. His father knelt to speak to him face to face.

"Purah here is a good friend, and she's going to take you back home now okay?"

"Papa I don't want to go, I want to stay and help you fight!" Monari shouted.

"Mo listen to me! This s no place for you right now. Leaving the fighting to us. We've got this okay? But you mother needs you right now. She needs to see her big man, you need to comfort her! Understand?"

Monari nodded, and his father pat him on the head. "Good man! I need you to be brave now Mo, now go on! Ill be right behind you. Well beat these dumb machines back and I'll be back in time for dinner!" He smiled.

A soldier ran up to him, wearing a red armband on his left bicep. "Anyu, what's the word from the Citadel? Have they mobilized troops to assist us?"

"Sir!" The soldier gasp for breath in between words. "The citadel has fallen! They were attacked by their own guardian sentries and new flying type guardians!"

"Dammit! What about the castle?" Surely they must-"

"No sir! Hyrule Castle was the first to fall! The town… its completely gone sir! The castle is engulfed in flames! Sir, if the two most powerful strongholds have fallen, what hope do we ha-"

Mo's father grasped him on the shoulder, and looked at him reassuringly. "Enough of that, you delivered the message like you were supposed to. You did your job. Now help us do OUR job here. Grab on of those bows and as many arrows as you can. Were holding this fort, Understand!?

"Yes sir!" The shoulder gasped as her lumbered over to Purah's cart.

His father looked at Purah and angrily gestured for her to escort Mo away. He quickly shot Mo a smile and waved, to which Mo returned the gesture. They Purah lifted him onto her horse and they rode off back towards the village. Fort Hateno was out of sight, but the crashes and booms followed them well into Hateno Valley. A burning question was floating around Mo's head, but he was almost to scared to ask. Purah must have sensed this and spoke up instead "What is it son, what's the matter"

Mo sighed. "Will I see my father again?"

Purah reared the horse to a stop and looked back at him. "Mo, your father is a capable commander at one of the strongest forts in the entire kingdom. He-"

"But that man said the Citadel and the castle didn't win, so how are we going to win?" Mo persisted.

"Don't worry Mo, the princess and her appointed knight are on their way. I have no doubt once he arrives, the tide of battle will shift. Your father is just helping to thin the heard of Guardians for them, so it will be easier for everyone when they arrive. Trust the plan Mo, everything will be okay."

For some reason, Mo had a tough time believing her. He had this strange feeling in his gut, that whatever was supposed to happen was going to go terribly wrong. But he kept his mouth shut and shoved those thoughts from his head. His father was right. He had to get home to see his mother, and comfort her. It was the only thing he could do now.

Purah's horse raced through the rainy night, and soon the booms stopped completely. It wouldn't be until later that he would learn just what that meant.

 ** _End of Prologue_**


	2. Chapter 1 - 12 Years Later

Mo grinned with satisfaction as he lay the last metal sheet atop the newly built stable, completing the structure. Everyone in the construction team cheered as her turned around and threw his hands up in victory. It was a silly thing to do, considering they had been working for weeks to get the stable up and running, but everyone was just so relived it was done they didn't care. Mo slid down the ladder and walked over to his best friend, Manny as he began to load up the cart of left over construction supplies.

"Need a hand?" Mo asked.

"No thanks I already have two firmly attached, but if you want you can help me load this crap up" Manny smirked.

"Ya know, this is why girls don't like you. You have NO sense of humor."

"I dunno, I think I'm pretty funny. Those girls watching us today thought I was pretty funny too" Manny laughed. He was, of course, referring to the group of girls who sometimes tagged along from Hateno village to watch the men work on the stable. Mo didn't exactly understand why they just sat there and watched instead of helping. It would have sped up the process. But the task was over now, and maybe they would help on the next project.

"Hey Mo," Manny stopped to take a breather after they closed the doors to the massive cart. "Me and a couple of the guys are going to the Milk Bar tonight to celebrate. Wanna come along?"

"Nah I have more work to do" Mo sighed.

But Manny persisted. "Oh, come on. You never give yourself any time to just have some fun. I bet Sophie will be there too" he said, nudging Mo's arm.

Mo thought a little longer. Seeing Sophie would be the perfect end to such a fulfilling and productive day. But despite his personal desires, he couldn't slack off in his duties.

"Sorry man, I can't. Purah needs me there to help her with some experiments, and she needs my notes from my research."

"Fine, suit yourself. But when some other guy tries to ask her out, don't say I didn't try to help you" Manny laughed as they mounted their horses and began their journey back home.

Mo could feel his face burning up. He wanted to take Manny up on his offer, but he couldn't slack off, not when Purah was so close to discovering what lay beneath the strange mound up on Marblod Overlook. Whatever it was, it was Sheikah in origin. They had been working for weeks, even longer then Mo had been working on the stable, in order to find out what it was or if it could help them in anyway.

Mo was so lost in thought that he almost missed his old home. Every time they journeyed out past the walls of Fort Hateno, he would also pass his old home, Camphor Village. When the Calamity struck, despite the fort holding and the guardians never entering the valley, all the residents of Camphor Village were evacuated to Hateno, just as a precaution. Because of this, the old village was just left to rot, as no one wanted to leave the town to come repair it. However, now that the stable was done and Purah's research almost complete, he was going to have more time for building and was going to bring it up at the next town meeting.

"Hey, Mo" Manny called, poking him in the arm. "You alright? You always get really quiet when we pass by here."

"Nah I'm good, lets juts get home. You have a celebration to attend."

Finally, after a couple hours of riding they made their way through the valley and had reached Hateno Village. The town had grown drastically in size over the last decade in order to accommodate all the refugees. New land had to cleared for farming and livestock had to be more evenly rationed and raised now that they weren't receiving any shipments from any other villages or towns. Everywhere outside the wall of mountains surrounding Necluda were a mystery, and no one had ever received word on who else had survived the disaster.

When they reached the village, Mo said is goodbyes to Manny and the rest of the crew, and trotted home. His family and he lived on the outskirts of town, just over a small bridge. He led his steed into her enclosure and went inside.

"Ma! Pop! I'm home!"

"Hi sweetie, how was work?" his mother responded.

"Pretty good, we finished the stable today, and I'm going to see about rebuilding Camphor village next."

His mother sighed. "Mo, you know that's not going to happen. Everyone is happy here. Why would they go out of their way and go through so much effort just to go back to a home they don't want anymore?"

"Because its better then just staying here in town forever. You're honestly telling me its better to just stay out for the rest if our lives instead of trying to expand our reach and rebuild society?" Mo argued.

"Look all I'm saying it that its not a realistic goal. Now are you going to be staying for dinner or not?"

"No, I'm going out again" he said, grabbing a roll from the kitchen table.

"Oh right, you're going to that celebration with Manny, right?" She looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"No... actually I'm... uh…" Mo didn't want to tell her where he was actually going. He knew she wouldn't approve. She continued to look at him with her eyebrows raised, waiting for I'm to answer. 'Actually, yeah, I'm going to the Milk Bar with the rest of the construction crew."

His mother smiled. "Good, take Sophie with you. She came by earlier today while you were still out, asking about you."

Mo's face went red as a fresh apple. "She did!?"

"Mhm. Go get clean first. You're not presentable the way you are."

He knew he had to just play along if he was going to keep her off his back. So he went to take a quick bath and change clothes. By the time he was ready, it as night, and he made his way further into town. He looked up to see Purah's laboratory puffing smoke as usual. He came to a fork in the road, with the left path leading to the Milk Bar, and the other heading up the hill to Purah's lab. He was about to head up when he heard a voice from behind him.

"Hey Mo!"

He instantly recognized the voice. Sophie ran up to him with a grin on her face. "Hey, I was hoping id catch up with you. I came by earlier today, but your mother said you weren't back yet. Are you going to the celebration with the rest of the guys?"

Dear goddesses, was the universe just testing his resolve? How could he say no to Sophie right to her face?

"Actually Sophie, I uh… I was going to help Purah with some of her experiments tonight.

Her shoulders dropped, and the grin disappeared from her face. "Oh, well, that's alright. I'm sure her work is pretty important." She looked at the ground and fidgeted awkwardly. "Well, I guess I better go. The girls are waiting for me. Ill uh... see you around?"

Mo nodded, and she began to walk away towards the bar. He couldn't let their encounter end like this. Without really thinking he called out to her again.

"Hey, Sophie!"

She turned around quickly, with a look of hope on her face.

"You... should come with me sometime. Up to Purah's lab I mean. She has some pretty neat stuff. And she spends so much time locked away up there she never comes down. I'm sure she would be interested to meet the head librarian. She's a sucker for knowledge and I think you guys would get along great. I mean... if you wanted to that is…"

Sophie gave Mo a warm smile. "That sounds really nice. I would like that."

"Great!" Mo smiled, as his voice cracked ever so slightly. "I'll make plans with Purah and let you know."

Sophie smiled again and gave him a quick wave, before heading back on her way. Mo felt like her was floating on air the entire rest of the way. Eventually he came to the doors of the lab and threw them open.

"My my, someone is awfully chipper this evening. You finally ask that cute librarian girl out" Purah giggled from her cluttered desk of books and papers.

"Dear Hylia, does everyone know about that?" Mo exasperated.

"Sweetie, I hardly ever leave this laboratory and even I know about it"

Mo ignored her and walked over to his desk. "So, what's on the agenda tonight Purah."

"I'm glad you asked. I wanted to make plans to make a hike up to Marblod Outlook tomorrow. I think I finally figured out what that strange mound is"

Mo looked at her excitedly. "So, you mean it's not dangerous? Are we going to try to excavate?

"Yes sir! Were bringing shovels and pickaxes, and were going to dig that sucker out of the ground!"

"Well what is it were actually digging up Purah?" Mo inquired. "we've been studying this thing forever, I wanna know what it is"

Purah smiled with pride. "According to my research and your notes, I believe what were looking at is one of many Sheikah Towers."

Mo's eyes widened. "If that's true... that that means-"

"Yes sir! If we can activate it, we might be able to activate the others. Then well know for sure if were the only ones left."

"And well be able to make contact with any other survivors!"

 ** _End of Chapter 1_**


	3. Chapter 2 - The Tower

Mo and Purah stayed up all night comparing notes and research. Compared to Purah, Mo's notes were not nearly as detailed or expansive, but that was also because he was going based off of his own eye witness reports and whatever he could find in the Hateno library. If he was being honest with himself, he never really found much at the library, but Sophie worked there as the head librarian, so he always found an excuse to keep going back.

"So, if my notes are correct, if you look here," Purah said pointing to the top of the page where a long tower like structure was sketched in, "This part is the same as the one we saw up on the overlook, which means alllllll this here is still underground."

He looked at her with disbelief. "Purah, how on earth are we going to dig all the way down there ourselves?" This structure is massive and all we have is a couple shovels and a pickaxe."

"Never fear good sir!" Purah replied. "You see, we only have to dig down to about here," She said pointing to the base of the top portion of the structure. "The rest is just a textured cylinder. The part we're interested in it the signal relay. If we can activate it, it might trigger other tower relays scattered around Hyrule, assuming there are any left. Once we do that, we can determine whether or not there are anymore towns or villages out there left alive."

"This is incredible" Mo gasped in disbelief. "This could be the start if rebuilding society."

He looked up to see Purah sitting there smugly. "Yeah it is pretty incredible if I do say so myself. Oh my, would you look at that? Sun is starting to come up. You better get home and get a couple hours of shut eye before we set out. You can't dig on zero hours of sleep!" She giggled.

"Wait a second, don't you mean we-" Mo started, but Purah cut him off.

"Any who, away with you now. Hurry hurry!" Purah shooed Mo out of the lab and closed the door. She was right, the sun was just starting to peak over the horizon, illuminating the eastern sea with a plethora of radiant, warm colors. He began his short journey down the hill back home.

After a couple hours of shut eye, Mo awoke to a tapping on his window. He rubbed his eye as he stumbled over to the window to see Purah standing outside. He knew it was time. He quickly fumbled with his boots, and tip toed outside, being careful not to wake her sleeping parents. Not that he could even if he tried, they snored so loud, it would take another Calamity to wake them up.

"Hey sorry I'm a bit later then we agreed on. I figured id let you get a bit more sleep" Purah said as they rode out of town, up towards the overlook.

Mo shrugged in response and yawned. He wasn't really prepared to any digging. As excited as he was, it didn't change the fact his body was still sore from yesterdays construction job. Being a part of the Hyrule Restoration Movement was an honor, but it did take its toll on his body every now and then. When they finally dismounted, Purah handed him a shovel and told him to get to work.

"Aren't you going to help" Mo complained.

"I could, but I'm a lady. Usually a gentleman will do the manual labor, didn't you know?" Purah giggled.

"Whatever" Mo sighed, and began to dig. He was careful not to strike any part of the Sheikah tech as he dug his way down. As he duh, Purah would periodically climb in to brush any debris off the intricate design of the structure. After a couple of hours, Purah finally told Mo to stop. She took a much smaller shovel out of her bag and began to do some detail work, digging her way into the structure. She began to reveal a dome like interior, and after some more shoveling, a small terminal was uncovered in the center.

"Alright that's enough digging, we have what we need. Can you go get my notebooks while I finish cleaning this terminal? I need them to figure out how this works"

Mo complied with her demands. She was always so pushy when she got engrossed by her work, but he learned to just roll with it and keep his complaints to himself. He rummaged through her large bag and pulled out a couple notebooks and brought them back down into the dome. Purah snatched them from his hands and began to flip through the pages. Mo took this opportunity to rest his limbs. He plopped down in the dirt and chugged a few gulps from his water canteen. It took Purah about 15 minutes to finally determine the proper course of action.

"Well, this terminal only seems to be operable with a Sheikah Slate, and I only know of one in existence right now."

"Where is it?" Mo inquired.

Purah ignored his question. "However, the Sheikah slate is only needed to distill date in the form of a geographical map of the region. We don't need one in order to send out a distress signal. Hold this for me please hun?"

Mo took her notebook and she began to fiddle with control panel in the central terminal. Not long after he heard a slight buzzing noise and a soft orange light began to glow from the panel.

"Ha!" Purah laughed snapping her fingers above her head "I know I could do it! I wish Robbie was here to see this."

Purah flicked a lever and Mo heard a small beeping sound, which stopped as quickly as it started.

"What was that?"

"I sent out a distress signal. Any and all operating Sheikah Towers will receive this signal, even if they haven't been activated. If they hear it, its just a flick of a switch to send a signal back to us, and well be able to pinpoint their location." Purah said confidently.

"And if we don't hear anything back?" Mo asked.

"Well, then I guess we have the answer to whether or not anyone else survived."

That answer slightly depressed him, but he always preferred harsh truths then comforting lies. Purah was always good about that, even when they first met, all those years ago. They never talked about that day much, but Mo was always grateful for the comfort she gave him back then.

Hours passed, and they had still not received a return signal. The sun was beginning to set, and Mo was packing their things. They had agreed that if they had not received a signal by sundown, they would return tomorrow and try again. Purah's usual perky demeanor was replaced with a pouty attitude.

"Hey, don't stress it, well get a signal back. We were foolish to think we would have received a reply on this first day." Mo said as he tried his best to comfort his colleague.

'I know, its just we were on a roll I was hoping to keep this streak going." Purah pouted.

"Well, in any case, at least we have something we can tell the town during our next-"

BEEP!

Mo and Purah stopped in their tracks. They slowly looked at each other, then together slowly turned towards the tower.

BEEP!

Purah took off in a sprint back to the tower. Mo began to follow, but Purah stopped him. "No, let me check this. Go to my lab, grab a map of the kingdom, as well as all the paper work we have on these towers that we didn't bring with us today. Also wake up Reede and tell him to call an emergency town meeting. GO!"

Mo took off towards his horse and galloped back to town as fast as his horse would carry him. When he reached town, Sophie caught sight of him and tried to flag him down, but he couldn't stop, he had to follow Purah's orders.

"I'm sorry Sophie I can't talk right now!" He said quickly as he rode past her. The rest of the residents still out and about angrily jumped out of the way as he rode by, complaining how rude that was. He ignored them and went straight up to the lab. When he arrived, he grabbed the giant map Purah always kept hanging on the wall. Then proceeded to clear her desk and shelves of any books, notes, or scraps of paper he could find referencing the Sheikah Towers. Once he had crammed as much as he could into the several bags laying around the room, he took off once more down the hill.

He raced down and proceeded to head right to the mayor's house and banged on the front door. He stood there impatiently as Reede took he sweet time getting up to answer the door.

"Oh, Mo, what a pleasant sur-"

"Sir we need to call an emergency town meeting! Its urgent!" Mo interrupted.

The tired look on Mayor Reedes face turned too one of panic. "Why-"

We finally did it sir! We found proof!"

"Proof of what!?" Reede insisted.

"Sir, there are others out there. We're not alone!"

 ** _End of Chapter 2_**


	4. Chapter 3 - The Meeting

Within a half an hour, the entire town was awoken and gathered in the town hall. Most were quiet, as they were still groggy and tired. Some were complaining, saying nothing could be so important that they had to give up a goodnights sleep. While others curiously murmured among themselves, intrigued by the sudden panic and urgency. Mo sat up front and Sophie walked in. She spotted him and gestured with her hands if she could come sit with him. He had an empty seat next to him, so he nodded his head and she shuffled through the crowd to sit next to him.

"Is everything okay? Mayor Reede said it was urgent." Sophie asked.

"Me and Purah found something up at the overlook. Purah will explain in detail when she gets here" Mo replied.

"Purah and I." She responded.

"What?"

"You should say Purah and I, not me and Purah."

Mo looked at her with a blank face. "I just told you we found something important up on the overlook and you're worried about the way I say things?"

"Sorry, grammar is a peeve of mine. Anyway, I noticed that recently you and Purah have been spending a lot of time together." She said as she looked down, pulling her scarf up around her mouth.

"Yeah I suppose we do." Mo replied, feeling a bit guilty for some reason. "Does… does that bother you?"

"Well its just she's really pretty. And you guys are kind of into the same type of things. Sheikah technology and stuff like that. I just sort of thought that you two…" She trailed off, not finishing her sentence.

"Oh! No no, its not like that. It's just that we've known each other for a long time. She was a close family friend even before the Calamity. She's like my mentor, and she understands my passion for knowledge and exploration. But that's all. There's nothing between me and her. And besides, she's ten years older then me, so uh, yeah."

Sophie's face relaxed and bit and she pulled her scarf back down. "Oh okay. Well, if that's the case, I was wondering-"

Sophie didn't get to finish her question because at that moment, Mayor Reede stepped up onto the platform at the head of the room and addressed the town.

"Good evening everyone," His voice boomed throughout the entire room. "I'm sure you are all wondering why we've gathered you here at such a late hour, after all our usual meeting isn't for another few weeks." The crowd quietly murmured to themselves, before being shushed by Reedes assistant.

"It has been brought to my attention by one of our residents, that some valuable information has been discovered that may alter the course of this towns destiny. Mr. Monari, I would like to invite you to the stand to share your discovery with the town please."

Reede gestured for Mo to stand up and come to the podium, but on the inside, Mo was panicking. This was not the type of thing for him to explain, this was supposed to be Purah's job. He was frozen in his seat. He looked over at Sophie, who was giving him the "its okay, go ahead" look. He took a big gulp, stood up, and walked up to the podium as smoothly as his wobbling legs would allow.

He didn't have any sort of speech planned out, so he just blurted out the only thing he could think of.

"Me and Pur- I mean Purah and I think we found proof that others survived the Calamity."

The crowd seemed agitated by the news. Several people seemed to tune out and go back to sleep, while others shot up in objection.

"Where's your proof?" One on the townsfolk said.

"Uh… Just today, we activated a Sheikah signal relay. Sent out to any other remaining Sheikah towers, and we uh, received a signal back."

"How do we know this technology isn't a danger to us!?" Another man yelled out. "We all thought the Guardians would keep us safe and look what happened! How do we know this Sheikah tech is any different!?"

Mo tried to stammer out an answer but was cut off.

"This is a load of crap!" another person shouted. "Hyrule Castle fell. The bloody Citadel fell. We only managed to hold out due to dumb luck. Why on earth should we think anyone else survived? And if they have, why haven't we heard from them already? Its been over a decade!"

"For the same reason no one in this town left! Were all scared to venture out there. We don't know what lies past the Twin Peaks. And they don't know what lies beyond their towns either I reckon. But now that we have solid proof that they're at least out there, so we need to get an expedition together and go search for them." Mo countered. "Also, Hateno remained safe due to the brave men and women who fought to defend us ten years ago, and ill remind you to hold your tongue when insulting those who gave their lives to make sure you could be here insulting them today."

The man who spoke sat down, and the many members in the crowd nodded their head in agreement. How dare someone insult his father and everyone else who fought bravely at Fort Hateno.

"Mo," Reede cut in. "You said you sent out a signal and got one back. Where did it come from?"

"I... actually don't know. Purah was supposed to be here with me… I don't know where-"

As if on cue, there was a loud bang on the town halls front doors, along with a small yelp from behind. A woman unlocked the door, and Purah hurried in, rubbing her forehead.

"Whose brilliant idea was it to lock the door hm?" She questioned. She scurried up to the stage next to Mo "Oh well. Mo hun, where are we at in our presentation?"

I was just telling them about the signal relay, but I where it came from, I was hoping you might?

"Ah yes yes, please hold up the map from my lab Mo."

"As you all know, Mo and I have been researching the strange Sheikah tech. After weeks of in-depth research, we determined that this technology was no threat to us and decided to excavate. When we did, we were able to uncover an ancient Sheikah tower and sent out a distress signal. We received one." Purah pointed at the map. "Our tower is located here, on Marblod Overlook. I was able to trace the source of the signal to the Akkala region. My former colleague Robbie was stationed there before the Calamity. We… lost touch with him, and I feared the worst. However, it is my belief that Robbie did in fact survive, and is the one who returned the distress signal."

"This is quite a claim. But that doesn't exactly warrant an entire expedition." Reede interjected. 'An expedition requires a lot or resources and people to make the trip. That's something we can't afford. We need every available resource here to feed our town and maintain peace and prosperity."

"But Mayor," Mo argued. 'If we manage to make contact, we could establish more trade routes, and the stress of barely getting by would be eliminated. And we don't have to send an entire expedition crew. Just one person would suffice."

"And who exactly are you going to volunteer to go on this expedition? You?"

"Well actually, yes." Mo sighed. The room went quiet. Sophie was looking at him with her scarf pulled up, picking at her lip. A woman from the back row shot up. He recognized her immediately. His mother. She walked out of the hall and slammed the door on her way out.

"Well, before I authorize this one-man expedition, I would like to hear from the town on any concerns."

No on said a word. The only person who would have just barged out.

"Then its official. As of right now, I am authorizing the expedition to the Akkala Region, led by Monari. He will depart the day after tomorrow. Teebo, please arrange for the necessary number of crops to be supplied to Mo for his journey. Tamana, please allow Mo to use one of your durable packs to hold his supplies. He may be gone for quite some time."

"With that, I will not call this meeting to an end. Everyone please return home and have a good night." Reede finished.

Mo returned home quickly to find his mother sitting at the table waiting for him.

"So, this is what you've been doing these past few weeks? Sneaking off to see Purah, and now you're just leaving? Without even talking to me first?"

"Mom, I have to do this. This is our one shot to find other survivors."

"You're leaving us! You really think you can survive out there!? You're not a fighter Mo! You'll die!"

"I'd rather die out there then live the rest of my life in this damn town!" Mo shouted. His mother went quiet. "You really think I want to spend the rest of my life farming and laying stone? I want my life to actually mean something! Father will always be remembered as the commander who held Fort Hateno! And what will I be remembered for? Building a stupid stable?"

"So, you're only doing this to be remembered? For glory?" His mother asked quietly.

"I'm going, because despite all the fear surrounding the outside world, we need to know what's out there. We need to find other survivors. It's the only way Hyrule survives. If we spend our whole lives stuck here in this town, we might as well just give up and die. Our lives will amount to nothing, and everything this kingdom has ever done will be forgotten."

"That's still no-"

"He's right Prima." A voice said, walking down the stairs.

"Thadd what are you talking about? How are you on his side?" his mother demanded.

Mo's father hobbled down the stairs, putting his full weight on his cane. He walked to the table and Mo shot up from his seat and offered it to him.

"Pa. I uh… I didn't see you at the meeting."

"Yeah well, old age and missing limbs will do that to ya. But you two were yelling up a storm I figured I should come down and put an end to it."

"So, you're saying, you're okay with me going?" Mo asked.

"Well I can't say it's what I want. Anything that puts you in any sort of danger I'm not happy about. But you're old enough to make your own decisions, and I would be lying if I said the cause you're working towards wasn't a noble one. Regardless if you actually find anyone or not, ill be proud of you either way."

Prima roller her eyes and scoffed. "Hes going to get killed out there Thadd. I can't believe either of you." She stormed off back upstairs, leaving Mo and his father at the table.

"Well she's certainly not happy. Don't worry son, just give her some time to process this. Shell come around. She's only being this way because she cares about you" His father reassured him.

"What if she's right Pa? I volunteered at the meeting in the haste of the moment. But I'm not like you. I'm no soldier. Now that I'm thinking about it, I don't stand a chance out there."

Thadd chuckled. "You don't need to be a fighter to survive in the wild Mo. There are other ways to defeat enemies and survive. You're a smart kid. I know you'll be okay. And when you return home, regardless of the outcome, you'll be a hero."

"I don't want to be a hero." Mo countered.

This time Thadd let out a boom laugh. "Ha! Of course you do Mo. Every man your age wants to be a hero. Now I'm going to head upstairs to try to talk to your mother and calm her down. Ill help you get ready tomorrow. Goodnight. Oh, and excellent work today."

His father staggered upstairs and quietly closed the door to their bedroom, leaving Mo alone at the table, thinking about the decision he made.

 ** _End of Chapter 3_**


	5. Chapter 4 - Pillars of Levia

The next day, Mo knew the first thing he was going to do. After bathing and washing his clothes, he set out for the library. He tried his best to avoid any of the other townsfolk, but those he ran into met him with either a clap on the back and a hearty "Good Luck!" or a stink eye and a scoff. It was no surprise a lot of the village thought Mo was an idiot or setting out on this endeavor. He was no fighter, and he was heading into what the village called 'The Burning Fields," the land outside that had been ravaged by the Calamity. But no matter what the town thought of him, he had to do this.

He reached the library and sung the door open. It was usually pretty empty in the library anyway. But being so early, the place was abandoned. Save for one person. Sophie was at her desk cataloging the recent returns, and placing them on their cart to be returned to the shelves. She yawned and took a sip of her tea, which she instantly choked on when she saw Mo walking in. After her coughing fit was done, she looked up at him sheepishly. Mo couldn't help but smile at her foolishness.

"Good morning" She said shyly.

"Morning"

"What… uh… what are you doing here?"

Mo fidgeted back and forth trying to find the right words. "Uh…"

Sophie looked at him with a blank look on her face, clearly confused. "Come on Mo! Get it together!" He though furiously to himself.

"I was wondering… if you uh… wanted to go out, and do activities. With me. Today?"

Mo's face turned bright red. This was it. He wouldn't need to wait for some monster to kill him out in the Burning Fields, his embarrassment would suffice in doing just that. But just as he was about to cut his losses and go lay in bed all day, Sophie nodded.

"That sounds lovely Mo." She said sweetly. Mo exhaled a huge breath of relief when she said that. "I'm sure the lovely patrons of this fine establishment won't mind if I close early for just one day." She giggled looking around at the empty library.

"After you" Mo sad as he held open the library door.

The two walked through town, and while it was generally pretty small, they did their best to try to find things to do. They played tag with the local kids, got some treats at the town shop. Sophie offered to buy Mo a drink at the Milk bar, but he refused. He had never actually drunk before, and he didn't want her to know that and seem like a loser. So, he used the fact he was leaving tomorrow on a dangerous journey tomorrow as an excuse. Sophie laughed as he emphasized the "super dangerous" part. Mo played it for laughs, but inside he was actually terrified.

After a couple hours, Sophie suggested they take a walk out of town. 'There's a really cool spot to hang out just past the forest. Up on Firly Plateau. C'mon we can ride out there."

They each raced home and retrieved their horses, and met at the front gate. 'What do you say we make this a little more interesting?" Sophie suggested. Mo raised his eyebrow, intrigued.

"Race you to the top edge of the forest?"

"You're on bookworm!" Mo laughed and spurred his horse.

'hey that's cheating we didn't say go yet!" Sophie yelled from behind him. Mo simply ignored her and flew through the forest. Horseback riding was always one of his better hobbies. He bobbed through the trees and bushes like they weren't even there. She looked back to see how far ahead he was, and to his surprise, he didn't see her. Was he really that far ahead?

He turned back around to see an acorn smack him square in the face. He slowed his horse, confused and a bit in shock. Where-?"

Up ahead he saw Sophie racing through the woods ahead of him. She looked back with a grin and through another acorn. He was able to dodge this time, but by then it was too late. She had gained a significant lead over him and with the edge of the forest in sight, he didn't stand a chance at winning. When he finally rode clear of the brush, he stopped his horse next to hers.

"What in Hylias name was that? That hurt!" he complained, rubbing his nose where the acorn hit him. 'That was really good aim though, especially from horseback."

"Thanks! I've always had pretty good aim. As for why I threw it? Well, you cheated, so I did too!"

"I would hardly count those as the same thing" Mo grumbled as they trotted towards the plateau. Sophie just shrugged it off and rubbed his nose to 'make it feel better.'

When they finally reached the top, Mo was astonished by the view. From here they could see over the entire valley. The waterfall he would dive off of. The forest he could collect bugs and pick fruit. Even... his old village.

"Mo what's wrong? You look sad. Don't you like it up here?" Sophie asked concerned.

"No, I do. Its beautiful. The second most beautiful thing up here actually." He said without realizing it.

"What?" Sophie asked, turning slightly pink.

"Uh… what? I didn't say anything, just that the view was really nice. And that I can see my old home from here. I don't know why but I always get sad when I see it. Reminds me of life before the Calamity."

"Oh goodness, I'm so sorry I didn't mean to make you feel sad! I shouldn't have suggested this, dear Hylia I'm so stupid!" Sophie covered her face with her scarf and flopped down into the grass, slowly starting to roll away.

"Sophie what are you-?"

"I'm so crappy at this! Just leave me alone here to die!" So shouted, though it was hard to hear her muffled voice through her scarf.

"Sophie stop. Its really pretty up here. It's a magnificent view and I think it was an excellent suggestion. Will you please stop rolling away? You might fall off that cliff, and that'll me a really awkward discussion to have with your family."

She brought her roll to a stop, and looked up at him. "You mean it?"

"Yes, I mean it you dingus. Now come here and have a seat with me." Mo laughed, taking a seat in the grass, looking out into the valley. Sophie inch wormed her way over to him and sat up, and together they watched the setting suns rays fall over the valley.

"You leave tomorrow. Are you scared?" She asked him. Mo nodded. He didn't see the need to lie and pretend he wasn't scared. No one had ever entered the Burning Fields before. He had no reference for what awaited him out there. And not knowing was what scared him the most.

"Well, I know its dangerous, especially if you're going alone. So I want you to take this" Sophie whispered, unwrapping her scarf and holding it out to him.

'Sophie, what-?"

"My parents gave it to me when I was nine. It helps me feel better when I have a panic attack or feel too stressed out or nervous. It always made me feel safe, and I want you to take it with you when you leave, that way you'll be safe too."

"Don't you need it?"

"Well, I don't think I'm going to need it as much as you. So, whatever I can do to help you come home safe, I'll do."

Mo didn't know what to say, so he just sat there like a dope with the scarf in his hands. Eventually he was able to squeak out a quiet "Thank you"

She smiled and looked back out to the valley. "If you want, we don't have to talk. You always seem uncomfortable when I ask you things or make you talk. I don't really like when people knowingly make me uncomfortable. So if sitting here in silence makes you feel comfortable, we can do that."

"Thanks. As long as I get to sit here with you I'm good."

They both looked away and blushed. But neither of them moved. Not as the sun set, or as the moon began to rise in the sky. They stayed there until morning, sleeping in the grassy meadow.

When morning came, and the cuccos sounded their morning alarm, Mo and Sophie awoke in a panic. It was time for Mo to leave and they still had to get back to the village in time for the sendoff!

"Come on!" Mo urged as he lifted Sophie onto her horse. He sent her horse off, and climbed back onto his, racing her back. By the time they returned to the village, everyone had already gathered. Sophie looked back at him and apologized.

"Don't be sorry, it was totally worth it." He reassured her, as he trotted up to Purah who looked at him with smug look on her face.

"Seems like you had a good night. Hopefully not too good." She laughed. Mo looked at her with confusion, not catching her meaning. But she ignored his look and handed him a backpack. "This is for you. There's a lot of food and water in there. A saddle was prepared as well, so you'll have some extra storage space. Also, you were out pretty late, so I also packed a spare change of traveling clothes in there for you to change into when you leave.

'Wow, Purah, thanks."

"Don't mention it hun. Nice scarf by the way"

Behind Mo, a small group of townsfolk were gathered, ready to see him off.

'Good Luck Mo!"

"Come home safe Mo!"

"Don't die a horrible painful death Mo!"

That last one seemed a bit unnecessary to him, but at least they were concerned for his well-being. Once his horse was finished being saddled up again, he hopped up and looked back one more time. At the front of the crowd, he could see his father standing there, using one of the other citizens as support. He looked around for his mother, but failed to see her. He looked at his father who just shook his head. He knew what that meant. She didn't come.

That saddened him greatly, and he felt his chest tighten up. But at least his father was here. And Purah and Sophie too. They all waved to him and gave him a loud send off, and he spurred his horse along. He tried his best to act tough, but he couldn't help but look back, a slight tear in his eyes. He prayed to every god and goddess that ever existed that this would not be the last time he would see his village.

It took him quite some time before he reached Fort Hateno. He passed his usual markers. The waterfall, the fort, his old village. Once he was at the Fort, the soldiers stationed there opened the gate for him, and he galloped out. He was surrounded by dead Guardian chunks, scattered across the grass and trees. Some parts were even still lodged in the fort walls. He came to the fork in the road and stopped. He knew if he went to the left, it would take him past his newly built stable. But he had a hunch to check his pack and when he did, he found a small, folded up letter from Purah.

"Hey hun. Its me, Purah! Although you can probably tell me the hand writing. And the signature at the bottom. Anyways, I was looking for an alternate route for you to take instead of heading through the Twin Peaks. When you come to the fork in the road, You know, the one by that big boulder I think looks like Mayor Reedes head, take a right. You'll see a beat-up bridge that takes you over the river. That will take you down a path through the Pillars of Levia. Think of it as a short cut! You're welcome! Signed: Purah."

"Well it's a good thing I checked that then" Mo chuckled to himself as he steered his horse to the right. He traveled over the rushing river and began his way up the hill. The giant stone pillars that surrounded this path loomed over him, and he had an uneasy feeling that they would collapse on him. But that was an irrational thought and he pushed it to the back of his mind. He couldn't help but admire their form though. He had only seen the Pillars of Levia from a distance. The rock surface was smooth and pure. Birds circled the peaks, no doubted where they had made their nests. No one could get up to the tops of those pillars even if they had climbing equipment.

He continued on his was when he saw a broken sign up ahead. He dismounted his steed and walked over to it, brushing it off. It was in Sheikah, a language Mo was only slightly familiar with. He had never taken to learning the actual language, despite working with a Sheikah scientist. But he made it out well enough. "Kakariko Village."

He tossed the sign back to the ground and continued. He came to a worn, faded archway which he guessed must have been the entrance to the village. But when he got there he didn't see a village at all.

All he saw were ruins.

 ** _End of Chapter 4_**


	6. Chapter 5 - Burnt Remains

Mo tied his horse to the post of the now ruined entrance gate and made his way into the ruined village. All around him were burnt out husks of old houses, and the chard remains of shops and inns. The village itself was situated inside a small clearing within the Pillars of Levia. Mo would have thought that such natural structures would have defended this place against the destruction. But there was clearly no hiding from the Calamity.

As Mo made his way deeper into the village, he came to a giant waterfall. At the base of it, was a large house built on a rocky pillar, with stairs leading up to it. Out of curiosity, he ascended the stairs and approached the double doors. As he made his way up, he looked down into the water below, what he saw almost gave him a panic attack. Dozens of Guardians were sitting below. It took him a moment to realize they were all deactivated. The several holes in the staircase confirmed his suspicion that the guardians originally meant to walk up the stairs, but due to their weight, many of them plummeted to the watery pit below.

When he neared the actual house, he could see scorch marks and burns along the exterior of the building. No doubt from where the Guardians attempted to blast their way in. He had no idea how this house was able to withstand those energy blasts while the other structures were blasted to bits, but he didn't stop to examine the material of the house to find out. Instead he swung open the door, and what he saw made his morning breakfast spew violently from his mouth.

Littering the interior were dozens and dozens of bodies. Most decomposing and skeletal. Some were missing limbs, while others seemed to be barely recognizable lumps of bones and dried, cracked flesh. Once Mo ceased his vomiting and steeled himself to walk further in, it became increasingly clear what had transpired. This was a result of starvation. The village residents must have come to this place when the Guardians attacked the village. But once they were inside, they were effectively trapped. Any attempt to leave must have been thwarted by the Guardians protecting the exit, and anyone attempting to flee was blown to pieces. Their safe haven became their tomb as they slowly starved to death. The strange looking lumps of flesh and bone must have been their attempt at… keeping starvation at bay. Mo grimaced as he sent thoughts of what have must transpired here to the back of his mind.

Despite all logic and reasoning, he proceeded further into the house. He went upstairs to find several makeshift beds, as well as tons of scattered papers. To his right he saw a small desk with what appeared to be a note resting on it. Mo snatched the paper up and began to read.

"The worst has happened today. Our feared enemy has returned, and we were all caught unaware. I am leaving now to do my best to assist the princess, and anyone who may have survived the attack on Hyrule Castle. I am leaving my home open as a shelter for my people. I pray they stay safe until my return. I hope its not to late… Signed: Impa"

Mo put the note back on the table. He didn't know who Impa was, but clearly her plan failed. The people down below must have been the last remaining Sheikah. And if that was true, then that meant Purah and her friend Robbie might be the last two Sheikah left, assuming this Impa didn't make it. Which, given the state of the village and the event that transpired ten years ago, was a safe thing to assume.

He hurried out of the building and rushed back down the stairs, he couldn't stand to look at those bodies any longer. But as he was walking away, he felt a strange feeling tug at his gut. He looked back at the old, decrepit house, and all the poor souls who perished inside. He couldn't just leave them there. There were too many to all dig graves for. So, he saw no other alternative. He rummaged through his bag to look for something to start a fire with. He found a flint and starter that Purah had provided for him, and set it to the side, then he gather wood and straw from the rest of the destroyed houses, and carried them up the stairs, stacking them around the outside of the house. Without knowing it, he had worked until dusk, and the setting sun descended between the gaps made by the pillars surrounding him.

Just as the last ray of light disappeared, Mo sparked his flint and sparked a small flame. Within minutes however, the entire house was ablaze. He stepped back and let the flames spread to the staircase as well, making sure every remnant of what transpired here disappeared in the smoke. Mo unpacked his bag and set up camp in the central square of the village, and sat there for the night, watching it burn,

The next morning, Mo awoke groggy as usual. It took him a moment to remember what happened last night, as he saw the smoking pile of ash and coals, he was quickly reminded. Doing his best to avoid looking at the old house, he quickly backed his bags and began to ride away. He continued through the canyon until he began to see his path get wider and wider. Eventually Mo came around the bend, and before him was something he never truly believed he would see in his lifetime. The true Kingdom of Hyrule. At least, what was left of it. It was easy to imagine the glory that was Hyrule from a decade ago. His father had told him many times. But seeing the state it was in now… it brought a sickening feeling to his stomach.

Dead, brown grass as far as they eye could see. Columns of black smoke arose in the distance. The ruins of Hyrule Castle could be seen in the distance, with a faint pink glow radiating from it. Mo looked at his map and came to the conclusion that he was going to have to head straight down the hill until he found a road, and then follow it through Goponga Village (at least, what was left of it), and make his way north up to the Akkala region. The trip would most likely take weeks, but the more he stood there thinking about it, the longer it was going to take him. So, he spurred his horse down the hill, and his adventure had finally begun.

It didn't take long to find the road. And his horse was able to follow it easy enough. In fact, it almost seemed to follow the road automatically. Which gave Mo more time to look around and take everything in. He prayed to the goddesses that he wouldn't encounter any monsters out here. All he had was small sword and his wits for protection.

He approached the village and saw it was in an even worse state then Kakariko. Hardly anything was left standing. Anything that was still up, was half submerged in water. The area seemed to have flooded, although he couldn't figure out how if everything around the village seemed dead and lifeless. It there was rain, the entire area would still be green and lush.

He trotted through the village and made it to the other side. In the distance he spotted a small figure hopping around. It was too far to make out what it was, and it didn't see him either, but his heart still pounded as he hurried by. Once he left the ruins, he kept heading north, and began to gain altitude as he rode higher and higher.

His thoughts began to drift as the monotony of the trip began to set in. He began to think about Sophie and the day they had spent together, it was the happiest he had been in quite a long time, and he hoped he would be able to return and continue to have days like that. Then his thoughts drifted to Hyrule Castle. He could only imagine the horrors that must have taken place there after their princess betrayed them. He grimaced at the thought. Mo had never said anything, even after the Calamity, especially since Sophie admired the princess so much, but he had always blamed her for the sorry state the kingdom was now in.

It just made too much sense. As soon as the princess leaves their region after performing a sacred ceremony, the Calamity suddenly took place? And not only that, but after her appointed knight, the Hylian Champion was killed, she went directly to Hyrule Castle, alone. That was the story they were all told as children. Apparently, the knight was killed the same knight that Mo was present at Fort Hateno. But despite everyone being told this, no one picked up on the princess's treachery. It was obvious that the princess let the calamity happen. The sacred ceremony she performed up on Mt. Lanayru must have had something to do with it. Not only that, but she clearly allowed her knight to be killed so that she could return to the castle alone and meet with her ally, the one wo brought forth the calamity. No doubt some demon she summoned during her ritual.

He looked again over the desolate wasteland that was once the beautiful Kingdom of Hyrule, and thought in disbelief how anyone could betray their kingdom and allow it to fall into such chaos. Mo was not a violent person by nature. But if he ever met the princess, however unlikely that might be, he promised to himself to make her pay for what she had done.

"I'm coming for you princess. I'm going to make you answer for what you've done."

While he was planning his revenge on a princess he would never even meet, he didn't notice the shadow pass above him. Or the rock up on the cliff that had moved. He hadn't noticed the figure swimming in the river, or the woman approaching him directly ahead.

When he finally snapped out of his day dream, he reared his horse to avoid running into the woman. When he finally calmed himself and his horse down, he looked down at the woman. She had dark skin, and under her hood, he could barely see strands of bright red hair. She looked up at him, without saying a word. Mo couldn't believe it! Another survivor!

He dismounted his horse and ran up to her, eager to know more about her.

"Hello! Ma'am? Are you alright?" he exclaimed as he approached her. Again, not a word. "My name is Mo, I'm from the Necluda region. Can you speak?"

Still, the woman was silent. Finally, Mo was within arms distance from her, and the women threw back her hood to reveal her long slender face. Much younger then Mo had just assumed. She grinned and reached behind her, ad Mo know exactly what was happening. He tried to run back to his horse where he had left his sword, when he was stopped by three arrows lodging themselves in the ground in front of him. He looked up at the source of the arrows, when a giant winged figure swooped down and clawed at his face with its talons. He looked around frantically for a way out, and decided that the best way was to swim. He didn't want to leave his horse, but he had no other choice.

He jumped in the river and began to swim following the current, when he suddenly felt a strong hand grip his shoulder, and began pulling him… against the current? How could anyone be so strong as to swim up river while pulling another individual? He didn't have much time to ponder, as he broke the surface of the water and was throne to shore. The water in his eyes blurred his vision as he tried to identify the three figures approaching him. As he did, he saw a forth figure appear, as if from nowhere. It seemed to come directly from the rocky cliff on the other ride of the road. As if a boulder was approaching him. But that couldn't be the case, could it?

The four talked amongst themselves for a moment before the walking boulder approached him. This was it. The end of his quest. He had just begun and already he had been bested by thieves. He closed his eyes and braced himself for death. He heard the sound of a blunt object being swung through the air, and heard a loud crack.

Everything went black.

 ** _End of Chapter 5_**


	7. Chapter 6 - Champions Reborn

Champions Reborn

Mo awoke in a small dark cavern. His head rang with a high-pitched whine as he sat up, groggy and sore. His hands found their way to an enormous goose egg on the top of his head, and he groaned as he tried his best to stand. However, as soon as he tried, a dizziness washed over him, and he stumbled back to the ground.

"Sorry about that. Tank tried to soften the blow, but a Goron like him can only whack a man in the head so softly and still knock him out." A voice echoes out of the darkness. Mo looked around for the source of the voice. The cave he was in was pitch dark, with the only source of light being a strange glowing rock near some metal bars. Mo crawled towards it and looked up to find himself sitting in some sort of cell.

"Where… where am I?" he grimaced to the unknown voice.

"Somewhere safe. Don't worry, if we wanted to kill you, we would have already."

"Is that suppose to make me feel any better?" Mo growled.

The voice chuckled. He heard some scrapping of metal against rock and then footsteps approach him. Out of the darkness, a tall figure appeared. A woman, probably in her middle 30's. She had a long, pointed face, with dark skin and blazing red hair. Her outfit was red and drab, but a bright blue armband quickly caught his attention. The woman dangled some keys out in from of him.

"Do you want out now? Ill let you out of you promise to behave." She smirked.

Mo groaned in pain, but nodded his head. This woman had to be a Gerudo. She was the one who lured him into the trap earlier by pretending to be an innocent traveler. How could he have been so stupid as to fall for that? He knew he couldn't trust her. His father always told him tales of Gerudo women stalking the Hylian men they wanted for boyfriends, or just straight up stealing from them. But he had to just play along if he wanted to escape.

The doors to his supposed cell slid open and he winced at the loud bang. The woman offered him her hand, which he graciously accepted. He stumbled out of the cell, and looked to his left and his right. To his left we pitch black, but to his right, he saw a trail of the same luminous stones that had lit his cell.

"Come on, follow me. The others are eager to meet you. And Tank has been wanting to apologize."

"I don't understand. Where am I? Who are you? What's a tank? And why in Hylias name did you bring me here?" Mo interrogated as they walked down the corridor.

"Woah, easy there bud. All will be explained soon. But what I can tell you, is that Tank isn't a 'what,' he's a 'who.' And we brought you to this place for your safety, and ours."

Mo didn't understand what she meant, but he followed he further down. They took a couple more turns and came to a small wooden door. The Gerudo looked at him with a toothy grin.

"Ready to meet the gang?"

Before Mo could give a proper answer, she swung the door open, revealing a medium sized room. Several book cases lined the rooms perimeter and books were scattered around the room. This must have been the library of whatever building they were in. However, it wasn't the books that caught Mo's attention. In the middle of the room, sitting around a small group of luminous stones, were three figures. When they entered the room, the mysterious figures stood and approached him. And Mo was completely baffled by what he saw.

Approaching him first was a tall, blue figure. It looked like a fish-human hybrid, and Mo knew this must be a Zora. This was the one who dragged him out of the river and tossed him to shore. Mo was astonished by just how tall it was. To the Zora's left, stood a giant bird man. Mo knew instantly that this was a Rito. His brown feathers almost completely hid him in the shadows, and was only visible by the soft outline of the light behind him.

Lastly was a giant walking boulder. No doubt this was a Goron. Their strength was said to be legendary, and he must have been the one who smashed Mo on the head. Seeing him now, he understood what the Gerudo had told him about softening the blow. This thing could easily kill him with just one swing.

"This is Myssa, Nukk, and Tanko. We just call him Tank." The Gerudo pointed to the Zora, Rito, and Goron respectively. "Tank didn't you want to say something?"

The Goron approached with a soft look on his face. "Yeah uh… sorry about cracking you on the head. In hindsight we probably could have just blindfolded you, but I hadn't smashed anything for a while."

"Oh um… thanks?" Mo said as he furrowed his brows. Was that supposed to be an apology? He looked at the Gerudo who simply shrugged her shoulders. "And what's your name?" Mo asked the Gerudo.

"My name is Reyna, but you can just call me Rey. Everyone else does."

"Who… Who are you guys?"

"We are Hyrule's salvation!" Tank shouted.

"The ones who will succeed where our predecessors failed!" Myssa boasted.

"We are the new Champions of Hyrule!" Rey said, grasping Mo on the shoulder. "And were going to save the world!"

_

They spoke for a few hours and Mo learned quite a lot about them as they sat around the luminous stone. Myssa was close friends with the former Zora Champion, Mipha.

"She was like a sister to me," she lamented as she looked into the soft glow of the stone. "When I heard of her death, I made a vow to myself to avenge her."

Nukk had come from the far north west. His family hadn't lived in Rito village with the rest of his people. His home overlooked what was now called the "flight range." Mo didn't know what that was, but apparently Nukk would spend his time watching the former Rito Champion, Revali, practice his updrafts and archery. Nukk apparently practiced every day to perfect his own updraft just like Revali, and use that skill to help his friends.

Tank had the simplest reason for joining. After the death of Brother Daruk, the Goron people lost all hope. He left to try to make a difference in this new world, and give his people hope again.

And that just left Reyna. Before Mo could ask her about why she had joined, she quickly changed the subject.

"Ever since the Calamity, we've vowed to bring change and new hope to Hyrule. The rest of our people were content with living in isolation, not doing a damn thing. But not us. We know that rebuilding society is possible. There are just a few road blocks in the way of that. Once those roadblocks have been eliminated, peace can be restored, and everything will be as its suppose to."

"So how come you guys brought be here? I thought you were trying to rob or kill me," Mo asked.

Nukk chuckled. "We were trying to rob you. Supplies are hard to come by now days. We need to take what we can get."

"And if were being honest, we were going to kill you if we had to. But Tank heard you say something to yourself right before we ambushed you." Myssa added, "Something that made us reconsider."

"That's right!" Tank boomed. "We heard you say you were going to make the princess pay for what she did. I heard that, and I knew you would believe in our cause too!"

"Wait, you want to bring justice to the princess too?" Mo was bewildered.

"That's right," Reyna boasted. "Its no secret that she was in cahoots with whomever allowed the Calamity to attack this land. We heard your accent and we figured you were from the Necluda region. We haven't been that far southeast yet. But Necluda was that last place the princess and her knight went before the Calamity struck. We were hoping you would be able to give us any information you knew about what happened there."

Mo thought to himself for a moment. He was weary about giving up any information about his home, and he wasn't entirely sure he could trust these folks. Sure, they had spared him, but they also planned to rob him and kill him. He decided to play it safe.

"I can't really tell you much. Most of Necluda didn't survive. It was just me and my family. They sent me out to look for other civilizations to live. I was headed to the Akkala region to search for an old family friend. As for the princess's activities, I was just a boy when it happened. But my father told me she was performing some kind of sacred ceremony up atop Mount Lanayru, though the specifics were never shared with us regular folks." Mo told as much as he could without revealing too much. He hoped they would buy it.

"Hmm, sacred ceremony?" Reyna asked. Mo nodded. "Perhaps this was the ceremony she used to summon the Calamity."

"That's what I thought too!" Mo burst out. He couldn't believe there were others out here that knew the truth like he did. And not only that, but they also felt like they needed to do something about their situation instead of just sitting on their asses.

Myssa smiled. "Rey, do you think it would be okay to ask him now?"

Reyna thought for a minute, before nodding with a smile.

"First off, what's your name son?" Tank asked.

"Monari, but you can just call me Mo."

"Alright Mo," Myssa started. "I can see it in your eyes that you're like us. You want to make a difference. To save the world and make it a safer place for your family. And not only that, you believe in our cause to bring justice to those who have wronged this land." She paused. "Mo, would you like to join us?"

Mo was taken back by the suggestion. After being robbed and bashed on the head, any other person would have denied this request. But he couldn't help but relate ad sympathize with people. If he denied, not only would they possibly turn on him, but when would he ever find such a group of like-minded people again?

"I know it's a big decision, and if you want, you can take the night to think about it. You can't tell, but the sun just went down outside. If you want to wait until morning that's okay." Rey said.

"Why though?" Mo asked. "Besides being like-minded, why would you want me to join? I'm not a good fighter, and I lack the experience most of you probably have."

"We've only been out here a few months." Nukk added in. "And we could always train you to fight. We want you to join because its rare to find a Hylian who wants to actively make a difference. And according to Tank, having a Hylian would 'fill it out' or something."

Mo looked to Tank for clarification. "Before the Calamity, there were five champions. One from each of our societies, and a Hylian champion. Call me a sucker for tradition, but having a Hylian would really bring the team together."

"Like we said, you can always sleep on it-"

"No, it's okay I don't need to sleep on it. I want to join, really, I do. But… I'm on a mission. I need to get to the Akkala region. My family is counting on me."

The others looked at each other. "Ill tell you what," Rey interjected. "Were on a mission to Zora's Domain right now. There's some… business we need to deal with. If you come with us and help us, well make sure you get to Akkala safely. We also have a safehouse in Akkala. Who knows, maybe your family can come to stay with us while we perform our heroic work."

Mo looked down. If he said yes, there was no going back.

"Well what's it going to be?" Nukk pressured.

Mo looked up at Reyna and smiled. "Alright I'm in. I want to join!"

Reyna and the other grinned. She nodded for Myssa to grab something out of a small chest in the back of the cave. She handed it to Reyna who then presented it to Mo.

"Congratulations Monari of Necluda, welcome to the family. If you're going to be a Champion, you should dress for the part." She handed him the fabric. It was a blue tunic, with white patterns stitched into the design. "We made it ourselves."

Mo couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment. Not only did he meet a group of unlikely allies, but he was going to find out the truth about the Akkala region, and help others along the way.

He was a Champion

 **End of Chapter 6**


	8. Chapter 7 - Raid on the Domain

The blue tunic the new champions had provided for Mo was much too small for him. However, instead of scrapping it, he turned it into an arm band, similar to Reyna. They had informed him that their destination was Zora's Domain. When he asked about their goal, everyone was extremely vague. Mo decided it was best not to push the subject for a while, and focused on marching.

Rey lead the team, with Myssa second. Then Mo, and they had Tank following up the rear. Nukk was soaring overhead, scouting for supplies or enemies. Mo had no idea how Nukk was able to create a strong enough updraft to get airborne, but it was impressive all the same. They marched through reached the fork in the road where a sign sat, directing them to Goponga Village. Nukk flew back down and rejoined the team.

"No enemies in sight so far. They must be holed up in the dens. As long as we stay quiet, we should be at the domain in an hour or two." Nukk panted, clearly tired from his long day of flight.

"Perfect," Reyna smiled as she grabbed Mo by the shoulder. Its time to split up. Tank, Nukk, you know what to do. Once you reach the objective and set everything up, send up a signal flare. That will let us know where good to go."

Tank and Nukk nodded, and the two set off down the road to the right. Myssa, Rey, and Mo stood there at the cross roads.

"What are they going to do? Mo asked. Rey again blew off the question, but instead of going silent, she gave him the answer to another one he had been thinking.

"Don't worry about what they're doing. Instead focus on the mission at hand. Were going to be infiltrating Zora's Domain. They possess an item that could be key to future victories. Were going to sneak in, and take it. That's where you come in Mo."

Rey began to lead them off to the left. But they soon strayed off the road and marched to the bottom of a giant cliff. "Were going to be scaling this mountain. From there, Myssa and I will be infiltrating from the back of the Domain, while you infiltrate from the side. Myssa and I will complete our objective, and Mo, you'll obtain the item were searching for. Once everything is done, well send up a flare to Nukk and Tank, and well be good to leave. Sound good?"

"Um… what exactly am I looking for? You keep refusing to share that with me." Mo complained.

"You'll understand when you see it, Ill explain more once we get to the infiltration locations." Myssa replied. Rey handed Mo some climbing equipment she had previously stored into her bag, and she began to climb the cliffside. Mo followed suit, before looking back and realizing how Myssa was going to climb as well. Her fins and slick scales didn't exactly mesh well with rock climbing. In response this, however, Myssa jumped into a small pond, being supplied water from a water wall. She quickly swam up to it and… began to swim up the waterfall?

Mo didn't think such a think was possible, but he should have known not to underestimate a Zora in water. After all she had already proven herself to be a master in the water when she pulled him back to shore against the current.

"Pfft, she's such a show off. How much you wanna bet that when we get to the top shell have some snarky comment waiting to share with us?" Rey grumbled.

"Does she do that often?" Mo asked.

"Enough to make it annoying" Rey replied. "But since she's so much faster, she can scout the area for us for when we reach the top.

The two of them climbed for a good hour, before reaching the top of the cliffside. This cliff had been nothing compared to the time he scaled the Twin Peaks, but nevertheless, he was still winded by the time they reached their goal. Rey didn't fare much better, and the both of them dragged themselves over to the opposite edge to overlook the Domain.

Myssa was sitting behind a bush, silently waiting for them. "Its about time you all got up here. I was afraid I was going to dry up out here. I was considering going back down and doing the climb again" she chuckled.

"Shut it woman" Rey replied. She tried to sound angry but she couldnt hide the small smile the spread across her face.

Myssa turned to Mo, Alright bud, here's the deal, you're going to be infiltrating their vault and stealing something very valuable for us. To do that, where this Zora Armor. I brought it specifically for this mission. Mipha made it for someone back in the day, but I doubt he's around to wear it anymore."

She handed Mo a blue outfit that was lined with scales, and the helm that resembled a Zora's head. "It will be the middle of the night, so the guards wont really pay you much attention. If you're caught, just pretend to be a Zora child. They'll buy that I'm sure."

Mo quickly changed into his new armor, and it fit him quite comfortably. It was a little big in some place, specifically the chest and legs, but it would do the trick.

"Were going to go now Mo" Rey said, turning to him. When you reach the bottom of the waterfall, swim up to the base of that waterfall. Swim up, and you'll be on the second the bottom floor. You head to the left, and see a long hallway. Head down it, and behind the door at the end is what you're looking for. Its in a small, brown chest. Retrieve it, and get the hell out of there. Meet us back at this location."

Mo nodded and the two took off, leaving him alone. It hadn't dawned on him that he had no idea how to swim up a waterfall, but before he could finish his thought, a green smoke flare was shot up in the distance. It seemed to come from the giant damn that overlooked the Domain. But Mo didn't linger. He approached the edge and looked down to the large body of water below. He took a large gulp, and dove.

The fall had appeared so high from the top, but the dive itself only last a few seconds. He hit the surface of the water, and pierced the darkness below. He quickly curved his body, and he found that thanks to his armor, he was able to maneuver quite well under water. He moved his body in a way that propelled him forward, and quickly came to the base of the waterfall Rey had pointed out to him. From down here though, the grandness of the Domain was breath taking. Giant crystal pillars, beautiful waterfalls, all blending seamlessly with the earth and natural water sources.

Mo looked up at the waterfall, wondering how to swim up it. He tried to memorize how Myssa had done, and tried to replicate the ways he moved her body. To his surprise, he felt himself lifting up, swimming upwards as easily as he would swim in a pond. He tried not to think too hard about what he was doing, fearful that if he did, he would start to mess up and plummet back to the water below.

But his fears were unfounded, and he soon reached the top. He could see he was in a small courtyard, exposed. He quickly scurried over to some crates and hid behind them, panting at the exhilarating feeling he just experienced. Mo peaked out from his hiding spot, and found the hallway described to him. Making sure the coast was clear, he scurried over to it. His heart was pounding with fear, knowing any second a single Zora guard could round a corner and blow his cover.

He quickly made his way down the hallway, and took a left. At the end was the door Rey had promised. He found it strangely unlocked. Surely this was a result of the Zora guards becoming lazy. After all, Hateno hadn't seen anyone else for ten years, and he imagined the same was true for the Domain as well. Why should they lock their treasure doors?

The door creaked open, and inside sat a small chest. Mo opened it, revealing a small, rectangular object. No way… this couldn't be-"

Before Mo could finish the thought, he heard a loud boom above. He quickly put the rectangle back into his satchel and made a beeline for the exit. He reentered the courtyard and before he could jump back into the water, a couple guards came around the corner. He back tracked, and headed up the stairs, barely avoiding being seen. As he made his way farther up, the decorations of the walls and ceiling became more detailed and shiny. Mo rounded the corner and found himself in a large chamber.

He had entered from the side, so no one had seen him, but there were four guards stationed to his right, at what he assumed was the official entrance to the chamber. That wasn't what really got his attention however. That honor was reserved for the enormous Zora sitting on the throne in the center, snoring. Bubbles shot out of his nose every time he exhaled. Dear Hylia, he had somehow made his way to the royal throne room!

He hadn't been spotted yet, miraculously, so he was turning back to head back down and take his chances with the two guards, when he saw a figure move from across the room. He squinted through the dark, and saw Rey and Myssa hiding in the shadows. It was hard to tell, but it looked like Rey had something in her hands.

Myssa sat quietly in the dark, with her spear pointed at the guards up front, oblivious to the intruder's presence, while Rey quietly stood up. Mo could see in her hands was a bow and arrow. She took aim at the Zora sitting in the throne, and it dawned on him what she intended to do. Without thinking, he quickly shot up from his hiding place, and shouted "NO!"

The guards quickly turned, and Rey released her arrow. However, the shock from Mos shout was enough to throw off her aim, ad her arrow lodged itself into the throne above the Zora Kings head. Myssa quickly sprung into action, spearing two of the guards instantly, while Rey took aim yet again. But before she could fire off a second shot, more guards speared, this time from all entrances. Mo was tackled from behind and pinned to the ground. From his position, he could see Myssa quickly outnumbered and subdued, while Rey draw her sword and began leaping around, slashing necks and chests of her attackers.

However, it wasn't long before she too was subdued, and the three of them were throne to the ground in front of the king.

"What is the meaning of this!" his mighty voice boomed through the throne room.

The three of them remained silent.

"Speak now! Or I will have your heads in this very moment!"

"You're a coward you know that?" Myssa spoke up.

The king stood up and walked towards them. He was staggeringly tall. His footsteps were a mix of loud booms and squishes.

"Myssa?" The king looked down at her, clearly troubled. "You came back?"

"To end YOU!" She spat at him.

"Why-"

"My best friend, your daughter was killed, and what did you command our people to do? Sit back and do nothing. We could have made it to the divine beast in time to help Mipha. But you ordered us not to. Its your fault Mipha died, just as much as the Calamity!"

"You think I didn't want to help her, Myssa? She was my daughter, I-"

"She was like my sister!" Myssa screamed, clearly loosing her composure. "I loved her like my own family, and you let her die!"

"So, you came to get revenge?" The king asked sadly.

"No. Revenge was just a small perk in the grand plan. Its time for new blood to rule this domain. Tear down the cowardly family running things now, and replace it with a leader who's worthy of leading out people. Who won't sit back and let their loved ones die!"

A guard came into the room, with a panicked look on his face. "King Dorephan! The slate! It's been taken!"

The Zora king had a look of panic in his eyes. "Quickly, search them!"

"No," Myssa whispered as the guards approached. "Your time is up, one way or another. Rey, NOW!"

Rey shot up, headbutting the guard behind her. She sprinted to the exit, leaping over guards and civilians who had come to see what all the commotion was about. Mo thought she was going to leave them, but when she reached the edge of the throne room, where the sky was directly above, and no longer blocked by the ceiling, she raised her arm and shot up a red smoke flare. She was again talked, and dragged back to the throne room.

"What did you just-" Dorephan started, but his question was cut off by a series of loud booms from up on the top of the mountain, in the direction of the dam. Mo could see fire and smoke rising from the dam, and he felt a strong rumbling sound. It finally dawned on him what Nukk and Tank had done. Incase their mission went awry, they were going to blow the damn and kill everyone in the domain. And it was all his fault!

"Like I said, you die today Dorephan, one way or another." Myssa boasted through a toothy grin. In the distance, the dam began to collapse, and water was rupturing through. The Zora around him began to scream, and run in the opposite direction.

"Quickly! Sound the alarm! Evacuate all civilians to the rear of the Domain! Get them up that waterfall and up that cliff!" King Dorephan shouted. Several guards rushed out to evacuate the civilians who weren't present, while the rest remained to hold Myssa, Rey, and Mo at spearpoint.

"Kill these traitors, and get yourselves to safety!"

"But your majesty, the Hylian is the one that alerted us to the assassins. And you won't be able to evacuate with us! The waterfall is too narrow!"

"Don't worry about me!" Dorephan shouted. "And as for the Hylian, what do you think he was doing here in the first place? Hes with this little band of assassins, eliminate him as well!"

The water was rushing closer and closer to the Domain. Rey and Myssa used this opportunity to break free from their captors, and attempted to run out the front. But as soon as they reached the edge, so the rushing torrent of water. It hit the domain with such a force Mo was thrown back to the ground. He heard cracks and groans from the Domains structure, unable to brace against the oncoming flood.

Pillars collapsed, and the decorations lining the walls fell and shattered. Water rushed through the halls, and into the throne room. Mo closed his eyes and braced himself for impact. This had been a mistake, he should have left when they left him alone atop the cliff. Now he was going to pay with his life.

The water rushed into the throne room. And swept up Rey, Myssa, and the guards and civilians alike. Finally, the water reached Mo, and swept him away, just like everything else.

 **End of Chapter 7**


	9. Chapter 8 - Along the Bank

Mo opened his eyes with a gasp. He coughed a few times, spewing water from his throat. His body shot up, then doubled over as he began to vomit onto the ground. When it was all sad and done, he flopped back into the sand, on the side of the river bank.

He looked around, unsure of where he was. He could see a glowing, blue bridge made from some sort of crystal material. Mo could only guess, but he assumed it had to have been the Inogo Bridge. The flood has washed him all the way through the Zora Pass. His mind was a foggy mess, but he did his best to concentrate. How could things have gone so wrong so fast?

Mo sat up again, this time more focused, although what he saw just then, made him wish he was still knocked out cold, or even dead. Surrounding him on all sides, stretching down the length of the riverbank, lay dozens upon dozens of Zora corpses. Many sported nasty gashes and bruises. Several more seemed to have suffered from severe blunt trauma, with heads and chests bashed in by the rocks as they were washed away.

Mo stood, and walked down the riverbank, looking for any survivors. As he did, he was wondering just how he managed to survive. It suddenly dawned on him when he reached up to push his helm out of his eyes. Of course. His armor must have protected him from the rocks and walls on his way down here. He felt along the surface, and felt several deep dents and scrapes. Good thing Myssa supplied him with this armor, or he would have shared the fate of every poor Zora soul he saw laying here.

MYSSA! Thoughts of what transpired rushed into his head. He was so caught up in meeting new people for the first time in years, he blindly followed them, to perform a task he had no information on. And because of that, who knows how many Zora died.

Before he let his self-pity consume him, he saw movement on the ground up ahead. His eyes widened, and he ran forward as fast as his aching body would carry him. He reached the body, and turned it over, revealing Myssas bloody, mangled body. Mo gasped and fell back, before regaining his composure. Surely in her current state, she wouldn't be able to hurt him. It temporarily crossed his mind to leave her here. After all, she had just help commit an act of terrorism against an entire domain, but as he turned to walk away, he felt a tugging in is gut.

He stopped, sighed, and turned back around. As much as he felt betrayed, he couldn't leave her here with a clear conscious. He knelt, grabbed Myssa under her arm pits, and lifted as hard as he could. He's muscles burned, and the wind left his body, causing him to drop her. Before he could pick her up again, he felt a powerful force strike him in the back, sending him tumbling to the ground.

He turned to see Rey standing a few yards away. She looked terrible. He hair was a tangled mess around her face, her clothes and arm band were ripped, and blood seeped from a plethora of wounds doting the landscape of her body. A look of pure hatred burned in her eyes.

"You son of a bitch." She growled as she unsheathed her scimitar. "We never should have invited you in. We should have killed you back on the road."

"How could you have done that? Do you know how many lives were just lost thanks to you?" Mo asked, uncaring of the threat of her sword.

"Thanks to me? You mean thanks to YOU!" She shouted back at him. "Our goal was simple. Steal the slate, and kill Dorephan. There was only supposed to be one death. Just ONE, for a noble cause. Instead, we were forced to resort to our back up in order to escape. You think that's the option we wanted? There's a reason it was a backup plan. You forced our hand, boy. All these Zora are dead because you couldn't keep calm under pressure."

"Is that how you justify taking countless lives?" Mo pressured.

"Yeah, yeah it is actually." Rey replied, taking a step closer. "Wanna know why? Because its for the greater good."

Mo took a step back, hoping to try to get Rey to start some sort of monologue to waste more time so he could cause a distraction and escape. But she followed every step he made, clearly not intending to let him leave.

"Greater good?" You've got to be joking" Mo scoffed.

"You think it's a joke? We formed the New Champions to give this world hope again. How could this land regain hope when the old leaders who damned them all in the first place still lived?" Rey began to rant. "A new world cannot flourish with the destruction of the old one. That's why we made it our mission to eliminate the selfish, idiotic leaders of each of our people. Once we got rid of the ones who lead us to our destruction, we Champions would rise up to lead our people into a new era. And once our people had regained their hope, we could kill the princess, her knight, and finally, the Calamity that took our loved ones from us!"

Mo was taken back by that last statement. "You're mistaken. The knight, the Hylian Champion, he already died."

"No, he lives."

"That's impossible. I was at the place he died, on the night it happened. My father told me everything." Mo argued. Did she really think he was alive?

"Its true he fell in battle, but he did not die that night. He was taken to a secret location to be resurrected once more. Along with bringing about a new rule in Hyrule, eliminating him was one of our prime objectives. The people put their faith in him once, and he failed. If he were to rise once more, and lose again, the spirit of the people would be crushed. To place their faith in someone, only to see them fail not once, but twice… Hyrule as we now it would cease to exist. The Gorons, Rito, Zora, and Gerudo would all concede to defeat, and the Calamity would win."

"You're a freaking lunatic woman, you know that!?" Mo shouted, taking her aback. "What makes you think he would lose again? What made any of you think any of this was a good idea?"

"He lost once. What makes you think he wouldn't lose again?" She asked him, smiling at his inability to answer. "I've been talking for some time. Have you found your way to escape yet? Or do you want to waste more time by having me recite my entire tragic backstory?" She asked him mockingly.

"I'm afraid time is up Mo," Rey sighed as she began to make her way over to him. "You may have messed up our plan, but at least you were somewhat useful in retrieving that item for us"

Mos hand instinctively reached for his bag, where the slate was stored. There's no way he could let her have this. He was sore, tired, and little experience with sword fighting, but he had to give it everything he had to keep this safe from these terrorists.

Mo drew his sword and shakily held it out in front of him, much to Rey's delight as she didn't slow a bit, and kept towards him. She raised her sword to deal the first blow, and as Mo raised his own sword to meet her, Rey went flying to the side as she was hit by a red blur. Before Mo could comprehend what had just happened, the red shape slowed and skidded to a stop in the sand. It had come from the water, and Mo looked up to see a red Zora standing in between him and Rey.

"Get back!" The Zora shouted, as he lowered the tip of his trident towards Rey, preparing to fight. Rey obliged, and the two exchanged blows for a few moments, but Rey was quickly overpowered by the Zora and thrown into the mud. She tried to crawl away, a look of panic in her eyes.

"In the name of King Dorephan, King of the Zora, and Protector of the Domain, I hereby sentence you to death, terrorist!" The red Zora shouted, as he raised his trident up, with the intent of ending her life. However, just as Rey closed her eyes and accepted her fate, a screech from above interrupted them.

Nukk dive several times, clawing at the Zora's face again and again. This was to little benefit however, as the Zora slammed the end of his trident into the Ritos chest, sending him sprawling to the ground. Nukk quickly shot back up, and grabbed onto Rey, who in turn grabbed Myssa, and the three flew off down the river, and around the bend. How Nukk was able to carry them both was beyond him, but he was happy they were gone.

The red Zora turned to Mo and looked down at him.

"Who… Who are you?" Mo asked, hoping whoever this Zora was, he was friendly and dint plan to turn those skills in him next.

"My name is Sidon, and I am Prince of the Zora! Or… Maybe the king now… I haven't found my father yet." He reached a hand down to MO, which he graciously accepted.

"The names Mo. Its nice to meet you Sidon."

-

Sidon and Mo sat on the edge of the bank. The Zora was different from a majority of the other Zora he had seen. He wasn't as tall as Myssa, and Mo surmised he was in his teenage years. Zora matured slower then Hylians, so it was really any ones guess though. Sidon tended to Mos wounds, and told him his story.

"When the dam blew, I was helping get as many Zora up the rear waterfall as I could. Many made it out, but many more were swept away from the flood, including my father. When the waters receded, and the danger had lessened, I swam as fast as I could downriver, looking for him. But unfortunately, I haven't found him yet. I already lost my sister, I can't imagine losing my father too!" Sidon lamented.

"Why didn't you kill me too?" Mo asked. "I didn't know what the others planned to do, honest. But I was with them, and your father ordered the guards to kill me. So why aren't you?"

"That's a silly question. Its because of you my father wasn't skewered by that arrow before. As far as I'm concerned, you're not associated at all with those lunatics. In fact, you have my sincerest thanks!" Sidon replied, patting Mo on the shoulder.

"You're… really understanding for someone who's home was just destroyed." Mo pointed out.

"Perhaps you're right. But perhaps being understanding in times like these is what my people need right now."

Mo nodded, though he wasn't exactly sure. He was about to speak, when Sidon beat him to the punch.

"Mo, this might seem like an odd thing to ask, especially after everything you've gone through, but that armor you're wearing, where did you get it?"

"Myssa gave it to me before we infiltrated the domain."

"Would you mind… maybe, letting me have it?" Sidon asked, clearly a bit embarrassed.

"Why do you need Zora Armor? I don't think it would fit you."

Sidon laughed, revealing a mouth full of glimmering, razor sharp teeth. "No no, its not for me. But you see, that armor, it was made by my sister, Princess Mipha. It was made special for another Hylian, one she had immense feelings for. And seeing it reminds me, that I don't have anything left of Miphas. A memento of sorts. Except for that armor. I understand I you don't want to give it up. It's actually very valuable."

Before Sidon could say another word, Mo began to take the armor off. Luckily, he had kept his trousers and undershirt on, so he still had something to wear. Once he was done taking it all, he folded everything to the best of his ability, and passed it to Sidon, who looked at him with tears in welling in his eyes.

"Thank you! Thank you so much! You have no idea how much this means to me! I-" He stopped mid-sentence as he felt something within the armor. He pulled it out to reveal the slate that Mo had taken earlier. "Oh, what's this? I believe you left this in here." He said, handing the slate back to Mo.

Mo looked at him, confused. "No, I left that in there on purpose. That's a Sheikah slate. It belongs to you. It's what I stole while I was in the domain. I'm sorry for taking it, but you should keep it. Its extremely rare and it was wrong of me to steal it."

Sidon just smiled, and forced the Sheikah Slate back into Mos hands. "Don't worry Mo, no hard feelings. And besides, I think you should keep it. The Zora had no right to keep something like that locked away. Something tells me you're going to be needing it more than me."

Mo was speechless. This Sidon was the nicest individual he had ever met.

"Thank… Thank you." Mo stuttered, placing the Sheikah Slate back into his satchel.

Sidon stood and turned to jump back into the river, before he did though, he turned to Mo.

"Thank you, Mo.," He said.

"Thank you for what?"

"For everything. For this armor, and for saving my fathers life. My sister was right to have such faith in Hylians, and I'm pleased to say I have that same faith now too. The remaining Zora will rebuild. And if the domain is ever in danger again, thank to you, Ill search out a Hylian like you Mo. If the rest of your people are half as brave and honest as you, I know well be in good hands."

Mo blushed a bit. He wasn't sure about the whole 'brave and honest' thing, and he was to self-conscious to address it. Instead, he called out to Sidon, "Good luck finding your father! I hope… I hope he's okay."

Sidon flashed him another grin and gave him a big thumbs up. "Don't worry. I haven't found him yet, but the old fish is a tough one. Hes out there. Farewell Mo, and good luck!"

And with that, Sidon leaped into the air and into the river, and started to swim down the river.

-

Mo sat down and started a small fire to warm and dry himself. The sun was beginning to rise, and dawn was approaching. He had no idea what he was going to do now. He was even farther away from Akkala then he was before, and now he had no horse, no real clothes, and a band of terrorists who could be hunting for him anywhere. All he really had were some under clothes, a small sword, and this Sheikah Slate. With nothing else to do, he picked up the slate and began to fiddle with it.

It was an odd device. It looked very similar to the image Purah kept on her desk, but with a few key differences. It still had intricate Sheikah designs on it, and a large screen on one side. Mo only knew what a screen was thanks to Purah's notes. Apparently when activated, images would appear on it, and the user could activate different abilities from the slate.

However, it differed in a couple ways. It had a small, metal piece sticking out of the bottom. It looked as though it could fit into something else, but Mo didn't know what. It also had a small, black bump on the bottom, just above the metal piece. It was made of some sort of mesh material. Mo didn't know what either piece was used for, but he hoped he would be able to figure it out later.

As he was about to put the slate away, and start his journey anew, his hand slipped, and he hit a small button on the side.

"Activating… Initializing Start Up Sequence… Please State Name."

Mos eyes widened. He must have activated the device, and it was speaking to him.

"M-Monari." He stuttered, unsure if he was doing it right.

"Authenticating… Welcome Monari."

The screen lit up to reveal a blue eye symbol, and a ton of Sheikah text scrolling from top to bottom. Once the lettering ceased, icons began to appear on the screen. He pressed one, and a map of Hyrule spread across the screen. A small dot lit up, and Mo realized that little dot was him. Or at least, his location. On the map, Mo saw several strange icons. About 15 in total. The positioning of the icons seemed strange, but he noticed one was located on Marblod Overlook. With nothing to lose, he pressed it.

A small circle appeared with next underneath it. It was simple enough that even though it was Sheikah text, he was able to read it. "Loading."

After several seconds, the slate let out a loud BING, and noise began to come from the slate. Not a mechanical noise of the device performing a task, but a natural, muffled noise. Almost as if someone was talking. Curious, Mo called out, "Hello?"

The muffled noises stopped abruptly. Mo was about to smack himself in the forehead for being an idiot and thinking saying hello would do anything, but then he heard a voice coming from the slate.

"H-hello?"

Mos eyes widened, as he recognized the voice instantly. His hands shook, and his mouth trembled as he realized not only who he was talking to, but how.

The voice spoke again. "Hello? Oh this is not good, I need Purah."

Mo gulped, licked his lips, and spoke to the Sheikah Slate.

"Sophie?"

 **End of Chapter 8**


	10. Chapter 9 - The Shadow Pass

"Sophie?" Mo exclaimed in disbelief. How was this even possible? Sophie was miles and miles away, and a completely different region, yet he could hear her voice coming from this device as if she was standing right in front of him.

"Mo, is that really you? What's happening? Are you okay?" Sophie asked, clearly shaken up by what was happening.

"I… I'm fine. And I don't know. Are you at the Sheikah tower on Marblod Overlook?" He questioned.

"Yes. I was up here with Purah trying to unlock more functions, but she went back to her lab to get some extra supplies. Weve been here for the past week. How did you manage to contact us?"

"I stole… I mean, I found a Sheikah Slate. I was fiddling with it and somehow, I'm able to talk to you. Sophie, I need you to go get Purah and tell her what happened. I'm going to keep heading towards the Akkala region. I'm almost there. I'm still figuring out this slates functionality, but I'm sure ill be able to reconnect with your tower. This time tomorrow, be back at the tower with Purah. Understand?"

Sophie was silent for a couple moments. "Sophie, you know I can't see you right? So, nodding or shaking your head doesn't help." Mo chuckled to himself.

"Oh… I'm sorry. Yes, I understand. Sorry Mo…" she stuttered. "Is everything okay Mo? Your voice sounds… strained."

Mo frowned. He hadn't noticed any change, but now that he was listening to himself talk, he could notice his voice sounded more monotone and dead. "No no, im okay. Just tired is all. Its been a rough few days. But ill be fine." He reassured her.

"Okay… if you say so. I'm going to go get Purah now, okay? This time tomorrow we better be hearing from you. No excuses you hear?" Sophie demanded, trying to sound tough, but her voice cracked so many times it was hard not to chuckle.

"Yes maam." Mo replied. "And Sophie, it was nice talking to you. I… uh… I missed you, and stuff."

Sophie laughed, and said, "Be safe Mo. I mean it." She was silent again for a few moments, before adding quietly, "I missed you too."

With that, Mo smiled looked at his slate. He pressed the red button in the upper right corner and the call was ended. He sighed and went back to the map screen. He could see he was about a three-day march away from Akkala. If he left now, he would make better time. But he soon remembered he had no food, water, or horse to travel. Before he set out, he would need to fix these problems.

The water issue was no problem. He would follow the river as long as he could, making sure to stay as hydrated as possible. The food on the other hand was a bit more difficult. There was no shortage of wild game out here. But catching them would prove problematic. Mo was no hunter, so his only hope would be to set some traps to catch rabbits, squirrels, and maybe a fox if he was lucky. So he set to work.

By afternoon he had captured 2 squirrels and a rabbit made from taps of sticks and makeshift rope he fashioned from some vines growing nearby. He hooked his slate to his belt, and placed the newly skinned and cooked animals in his satchel to be eaten later. Not having a horse was problematic, but he set out anyway, on foot.

Following his map, he headed north, up the Ternio Trail. The map on his slate had names of almost every path, mountain, hill, and body of water. It was truly incredible, and he couldn't believe Sidon had allowed him to keep such a treasure. Once he settled in for the night, he would have to explore more of its functions. This could prove a vital tool to uncovering the mysteries of the past.

As he headed up the trail, he couldn't help but feel dwarfed by the enormous cliffside to his right. It was hard to believe that just yesterday he had been at the top of them, planning to steal the very slate that had been given to him. Not only did he feel small and insecure next to the enormous size of the cliffs next to him, but the looming threat that Rey, Nukk or Tank might be on his trail never strayed far from his mind.

It took him about two days of traveling before he started to notice a change in the landscape. During those two nights, he had figured out two new functions for his slate. One function allowed him to capture real-to-life images of whatever he pointed the slate towards. The name of this function was called a "Camera." He tested it out on a couple animals and some trees. The second function was that he was able to speak into the strange, mesh lump, ask a question, and for the most part receive an answer. He was still working on this function however, when he saw it.

Cresting the horizon, a giant structure rose up. As he got closer to the hill, he noticed its features from stories his father had told him as a boy. Sitting atop a small mountain was a giant fortress, made of several layers of walls and stories. It was covered in a strange pink substance, but there was no denying what he was looking at. The Citadel.

He came to yet another fork in the road, and went left. Both ways had to pass by the Citadel, since the fortress was likely the only entrance and exit into the region. But the left path allowed him a closer vantage point of the Citadel, and he wanted to take a closer look.

He took off down the path, careful not to get too close. He passed over an old, war torn bridge, crossing over what his slate called the Akkala Span. He took a sharp right and came to another bridge. This time, however, he didn't cross, as this bridge took him directly to the front gate of the Citadel. Even from a distance, Mo had noticed some sort of flying contraptions circling the area. He pulled out his slate, and used his camera function to zoom in and get a better look. To his horror, he noticed the intricate Sheikah design on them. They were some new type of guardian. Mo had always wondered how the Citadel, one of the most fortified and powerful strongholds in the kingdom had fallen so quickly. And that was his answer. Walking guardians were bad enough, but ones that could fly… he didn't even want to think about what was going through those soldier's heads, aside from deadly energy beams, when they saw these things flying towards them.

Along the battlements, Mo also spotted numerous creatures. Throughout his journey, he had rarely spotted any monsters or horrific creatures his village told stories about. And he was thankful for that. But now he could perhaps see why. They could have all conjugated here. Scores of Bokoblins and Moblins patrolled the walls, and down at the front gate, across the bridge, two guardian walkers stood, ever vigilant, ensuring no one crossed.

Mo decided he had had enough for one day and carefully retreated to the main path. He continued along the trail, careful to give the Citadel wide birth, as to not attract the attention of the monsters, or even worse, those new flying guardians. As he walked, he noticed the leaves and grass begin to change color. The once green leaves now turned to a beautiful orange, red, and yellow color. The grass became a more brittle, and the air became dryer. This region of Hyrule was strikingly beautiful, but it had an eerie, sinister feel to it underneath. Maybe it was the scores of monsters at the Citadel, but something felt off about this area.

He knew he was in the Akkala region, even before he pulled out his map to check. He was following a path that lead him directly into what his map called the "Shadow Pass." The name made him a bit nervous, but he figured he had to pass it in order to explore the rest of the region. Now that he was here, Mo realized he had no idea where to start looking. He had checked his map to search for any towers he could try to contact someone at, but the only one nearby seemed to be located inside the Citadel, and there's no way any sane person would enter that deathtrap. Maybe Purah had been wrong, and the signal didn't come from Akkala.

Mo reached the Shadow Pass, and he understood why it was called that. The looming form of Death Mountain just to the north, coupled with the dense, thick canopy provided by the trees, blocked out most, if not all the sunlight in mist areas of the path. He hesitated to go in, not having anyway to light his way. That is, until he checked his Sheikah Slate and found a function allowing him to shine a bright light out of the slot where the camera took its pictures. Mo took a quick sip of water from a nearby small pond, drew his sword, and entered the forest.

Things were quiet at first. It was just like any other forest. Small critters darted back and forth across the bath. Birds chirped and sang. But as he went deeper, the singing stopped. The creatures stopped appearing, and the only noise was the heavy breathing of Mo himself. Getting a bad feeling in his gut, Mo dimmed the light just a bit, as to attract less attention.

His sword arm began to shake as the darkness seemed to engulf him. He couldn't even see the sides of the path anymore, only what was directly in front of him. For some reason, the forest seemed endless, and he was afraid he would never make his way out. As he was thinking this, he heard a rumbling noise from his left. Like the sound of two stones sliding against one another. He stopped, listening for anything else. Again, the scraping sound. This time though, it was followed by a few quick beeps and a low, deep humming noise. Mos eyes widened, as he recognized those series of noises.

He took off down the path, caring little about where he was actually headed, working on instinct alone. Behind him, he heard the snapping and crashing of bushes and branches, as his pursuer closed in. As the crashing got louder, he looked back to see a blue dot following closely behind. He knew exactly what was about to happen as he heard a series of beeps progressively get faster and faster. At the last possible second, Mo dove to the side, and a stream of violent, blue energy flew past his head, and exploded against a nearby tree, setting it ablaze.

Mo needed to lose this guardian in the forest, or else he was done for. Once he reached the edge of the woods and entered open fields, the guardian would run him down in an instant. Thinking quickly, Mo ducked and dodged under several branches, trying to lose his attacker, but the guardian kept up quite well. Unlike Mo, it seemed to have no problem seeing in the dark. This left only one option. He couldn't outrun the thing, so the only thing he could do was fight.

Flashing back to when Rey pulled her sword on him, he was overwhelmed by a crippling fear. Even at her worst, he had no doubt she could have skewered him in an instant had Sidon not arrived to save him. But this time he was alone, with no one to help him, and against a much stronger enemy. Mo stopped running, and turned to face the beast. Strangely enough, the guardian didn't behave like the ones he had seen 10 years ago. It didn't try to grab him or trample him. Instead it seemed to focus only on using its energy beam to eliminate its target. Perhaps Mo could use this to his advantage. He quickly pulled up the settings on his Sheikah Slate, dodging the energy blasts from the Guardian. He couldn't find any shield or attack option, but what he did find was an option that said "Reset." Or at least, he hoped that's what it said.

As the guardian was about to unleash its next blast, Mo pointed the slate at the Guardian and pressed the button. At first, nothing happened, but then the Guardian suddenly flashed blue, and the top of its head fell off, having been severed. Mo looked at the slate, in awe of what he had just done. But then he heard another crash, and another part of the guardian went flying, and Mo realized this wasn't his doing. Someone, or something, else was doing that to the guardian. Mo hid behind a tree as more and more guardian pieces went flying.

When the flashed and crashes stopped, Mo cautiously approached the mech, unsure of what to make of the situation. He could smell burning wires and leaves, and could see sparks flying from numerous wounds sustained by the guardian. As he got closer, he heard footsteps quickly approaching from behind. Normally he would have been scared, but whoever it was, clearly saved him from the guardian, so they couldn't be all bad… right?

"Hey, moron! Don't touch that!" a voice called out to him. 'What in Hylias name are you doing all the way out here, you know how dangerous it is!"

Mo squinted and turned on his light once more. The light revealed and figure only a few yards away from him. It was a man, a bit taller then Mo. He had wild, white hair, and piercing red eyes. Something about that seemed familiar. He wore a blue and red tunic, with a tan coat overtop, and was holding a wrench in his hand, clearly wanting to get at the guardian.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I don't think we've met before. You're definitely not from the sanctuary. Just who the heck are you, and what are you doing here?" The man asked as his eyes kept dating from Mo to the deceased guardian.

"My name is Mo, I'm from the Necluda region, are you-"

"Necluda!?" The man blurt out. "I wonder… No, it can't be… or maybe it can…"

"Sometime ago, me and a colleague of mine found something special in the ground, called a Sheikah tower. We-"

"Set out the distress signal!" The man blurted out again. "I knew that wasn't just a fluke! Oh man, everyone's gonna be so excited to know there are others out there! It's a pleasure to meet you Mo, my name is-"

"Robbie, right?" Mo said, this time being the one to cut HIM off.

"Heck yeah! And just how did you know that?"

Mo smiled. "Just a guess."

 **End of Chapter 9**


	11. Chapter 10 - The Sanctuary

Robbie quickly led Mo out of the Shadow Pass, but not before stooping down to collect a plethora parts and pieces from the dead guardian. Mo considered asking what they were for, but at the moment, he just wanted to leave this creepy forest.

They reached the edge of the woods, and the rest of Akkala spread out before them. It was eerily empty. Granted, the orange, yellow, and red trees were breathtakingly beautiful, as he had never seen such an occurrence in Hateno, but now that he was passed the Shadow pass, the number of trees and bushes dropped significantly. Before him were wide sprawling hills and fields. There was a sense of vulnerability that Mo had not even felt when leaving the mountainous confines of Necluda. The entire experience left Mo craving for his old home more then ever. He pulled his scarf up around his face and followed closely behind Robbie.

"So," Robbie sighed as they reached the edge of a deep quarry. "Where did you get that slate?"

Mo was initially taken back by the question. Before he could answer, Robbie grabbed him by the tuff of his shirt and, with one hand, held him out over the edge of the long drop.

"Is said, where did you get that damn slate! Tell me now!"

"It… It was given to me!" Mo shouted, panicked.

"That's a load of Boko Crap! You found the chamber didn't you! How did you get in!?" Robbie's eyes with wide with anger and… fear?

"I swear, it was given to me Prince Sidon of the Zora! He gave it to me as a token of good faith and thanks! Please I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know about any chamber! Please!"

Robbie sat for a moment, pondering Mos words. Finally, after several terrifying seconds, he smiled, and slowly brought Mo back to solid ground. He chuckled awkwardly to himself.

"Uh… Sorry about that. Just a little misunderstanding is all. Any who, shall we keep going?"

Mo was baffled, and was hesitant to continue on his way with this man. But even if he wanted to run away, he was sure Robbie would catch up to him in a heartbeat. Despite what had happened, he didn't think Robbie was a serious threat to his life, but he would have to remain more on guard and ever vigilant about what he said and did. Purah was right when she had told him that Robbie was a bit unpredictable.

He picked himself up and continued to follow Robbie deeper into Akkala. After their little situation at the quarry, the rest of the trip was pretty uneventful. In fact, Robbie didn't even really speak or acknowledge Mo that much the rest of the way. He was always too busy looking out into the distance or writing something in his notebook. Another apparent hobby of his was cleaning and inspecting the materials he had scrapped from the guardian.

The sun began to set, highlighting the vibrant colors of the trees and bushes. Robbie seemed to snap out of his trance looking as some sort of screw, and suddenly got a look of panic across his face.

"Damn is it dusk already? C'mon man we need to move!" Robbie suddenly bolted up and began running up the hill. Mo had no choice but to follow behind him, and wonder what exactly it was about night that seemed to startle Robbie so much.

After an hour or two of running, just as Mo thought his lungs could collapse and his legs would give out, they crested one of the many, many hills and what lay before Mo was a sight to behold. Atop a cliff, sat a wooden fort. Made out of numerous logs and tree trunks, the wall of the fort seemed to encircle a small village. And at the very top, by the cliffside, sat a ruined light house, with steam and smoke puffing from the chimney. Mo could only surmise that this was Robbie's lab, as Purah had an almost identical one back in Hateno.

They reached the gate and Mo could finally see quite a few people milling around, collecting berries, fixing the wall, or just playing with one another. They all saw Robbie, and several of the children cheered and laughed as they ran forward to greet him.

"Robbie, Robbie! Did you get anything cool! C'mon show us!"

"Yeah Robbie, give us something fun to play with!"

Robbie just laughed, and patted them on the head. "Sorry shrimps, nothing fun or exciting this time. Why don't you all head back inside. Its gonna be dark soon."

The kids all groaned, but did as they were told. The rest of the adults outside the fort headed in as well. Robbie gestured for Mo to follow him in, and Mo just couldn't believe it. Another thriving community. More people had survived the Calamity! He looked around at the village inside the walls, awestruck. It wasn't nearly as large as Hateno, and everything was made of wood. But the fact it existed at all was amazing.

Robbie led him up past all the houses buildings, and up towards the lighthouse, explaining a bit about the village on the way.

"It's not much I'll admit, but it's better than it was before. This place was set up by the last few remaining citizens of Akkala after the calamity, with the help of some of the soldiers who survived the assault on the Citadel. It was originally just me and ten others, but over time, more and more people showed up. Must have been those who hadn't lived in any of the villages. Probably loners or distant farmers." Robbie explained. "Ever since then, we've been expanding the walls and the village. You might have noticed that there's no shops or inns. That's because we did away with money and services like that. Here, we all contribute to the group. We all farm, hunt, collect, and do whatever we can to keep our community strong. The kids are even gonna start training the ways of the sword now they they're old enough to hold one."

"This is amazing. How come now one here ever left Akkala to search for others? Weren't you curious?" Mo asked.

"You have no idea kid. I wanted to go out and explore more then anything. I wanted to find Purah, and find out what happened to my village. But…" he trailed off.

"But what?" Mo pushed.

"But as I was getting ready to head out, we were suddenly under attack. No doubt you must have seen the Citadel on the way here. It's the only way in and out of the region. You must have also seen the massive amounts of monsters there. Every couple of nights, when their power is strongest, the raid the village. At first, we were unprepared, and everything was destroyed. Half the population here was killed, and we were forced to rebuild. Ever since then, its bee harder and harder to push them back, even with the walls protecting us.

Robbie paused for a moment before continuing. "That's why I can't leave. I have to stay here and help defend the village. If I leave, there no telling what might happen. I might not have anything to return to. And all my research, and all the people I've come to care for here will be gone."

Mo looked at Robbie, who's eyelids drooped, and he had a long scowl across his face.

"It if makes you feel better, Purah is alive. She's the one who sent out the distress signal. I came here to make sure the signal we got back wasn't just an accident."

Robbie perked up a bit from hearing that. "That's right. Purah is still out there. Is she still as lighthearted about everything as she use to be? She never took anything that seriously."

Mo smiled. "Yep, still as bubbly and excitable as always."

Robbie smirked. "That's always good to hear. Besides you and Purah, anyone else alive over there?"

Mo nodded. "Hateno was largely unaffected by the Calamity. Fort Hateno help up. The village is doing well. But they're worried they're the only ones left too. They sent me to see if that was really the case. And now that I know you're here, we can take everyone here back to Hateno!"

"What do you mean? Why would we do that?"

Mo cocked his head. "Be… Because its safe there. The threat of monsters is almost nonexistent. You won't be fighting for your lives every other day."

Robbie chuckled. "These people aren't going to abandon their homes Mo. Weve established a life for ourselves here. They won't move out so easily. And besides, passing the Citadel is the only way in and out of Akkala. One or two people will go unnoticed. An entire village? They'd be on us in an instant and kill every last one of us. It's impossible."

Mo scowled. Nothing was impossible if you were inventive enough. But he decided to let it go and follow Robbie into his lab. He swung open the doors, and inside was pretty typical of what one would find in a Sheikah lab. Books, papers, notes, and artifacts dotted the room. But in stark contrast to Purah, Robbie's lab was neat and well organized. All the books were neatly on bookshelves, and buckets hung on the wall, with a variety of parts inside, and label directly underneath. Robbie's desk was well organized, with three quills on one side, and a single sheet of paper in the middle.

"Wow, this is nothing like Purah's lab" Mo gaped.

'Well, it use to be, until Cherry came along" Robbie laughed to himself.

"Who's Cherry?" Mo asked.

As if on cue, a woman's voice was heard from the upper floor. "Robbie, sweetheart, is that you?"

"Yes, my darling, we have a visitor!" Robbie called up, and Mo could hear the pitter patter of feet quickly coming down the stairway. A woman appeared, and she was incredibly attractive. Long flowing brown hair, and piercing green eyes. Fair skin and slender frame, Mo was afraid he was going to start drooling. Before he could make a fool of himself, the woman approached and held out her hand.

"Hi! Its nice to meet you. My name is Cherry. I'm Robbie's fiancé. Welcome to out lab. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to let us know." Cherry's voice was so happy and cheery, it reminded him of Purah. Its like no matter what happened, nothing could ever bring her down.

"Thank you, ma'am," Mo managed to blurt out, and Cherry made her way to some type of oven and began to turn some nobs. But to his surprise. When she opened the oven door, there was no food inside. Instead, she pulled out various kinds of weapons? A couple arrows, a couple sword hilts, and a glove.

"Sweetie, here's that glove for your armor you're making. Can you come get it while I finish some tweaks on these weapons? I don't want them to short circuit while they're being used."

Robbie scurried over and picked up the glove. Apparently, it wasn't hot at all, because Robbie quickly tried it on, before giving Cherry a smooch on the cheek before returning to Mos side.

"Cherry is the main weapons maker for this village. Before the Calamity, she helped Purah and I supplied weapons to the Citadel and Fort Hateno. Our resources are limited now of course, but I try to find a new guardian to pick apart whenever I have the time to give her more materials to work with. She truly is a talented scientist. It used to drive Purah up the wall that a nonsheikah scientist was allowed in to work on Sheikah tech. But she's clearly gotten over that if you and her have worked together."

"So, you two only make weapons? Have you looked into the Sheikah Towers? That's how you heard our distress signal right?" Mo asked.

"Nope. I got your signal here on my Guidance Stone, over there in the middle of the lab. Our main focus here is on innovation and weapons development. Our village has benefited greatly from the weapons we make. We've created turrets out of the destroyed guardian parts, as well as axes, swords, spears, and arrows."

"Jeez that sounds incredible. What were all those broken guardians doing outside? You just said you stripped them all for parts, right?"

Robbie sighed. "Before we started to make weapons, Cherry and I tried to find a way to make reprogram the guardians back to their original goal, protecting us. But unfortunately, all the guardians we experimented on failed, and either shut down, or grew even more hostile. The process of capturing them became to costly so we shifted our focus on just destroying them. The Torin Wetlands are still crawling with them, so going there is suicide."

"How close to reprograming the guardians were you? Was there any noteworthy progress?" Mo asked, still curious.

"Well, there was one. It started off okay, I think it was an earlier prototype. Its engravings were a big different. We managed to push the Malice out of the machines insides, and returned it to its blue color. But after a few moments it went haywire and tried to throw Cherry off the cliff behind the lab. It ended up falling itself, but that was the last straw. We stopped experiments after that. You can still see the thing down on the beach below. It hasn't moved since."

"If its alright Robbie, id like to see it sometime. I've only seen guardians twice in my life. And both times they've been trying to kill me. I'd like to see one up close and be able to study it. I probably won't find anything worthwhile, but I'm just curious, ya know?" Mo replied.

Upon hearing this, Robbie cracked a big smile. "Purah brought you up well, it's a good thing to be curious! No society ever advanced just sitting on their asses doing nothing. Science and innovation are the way forwards, I'm glad you recognize that!"

Mo smiled. "Oh hey, by the way. About this slate, you can have it if you want. I'm sure it'll serve a greater purpose with you then with me." He said, pulling his slate out of his bag and holding it out to Robbie.

"No, no its okay. I'm sorry for my outburst earlier. Its just we only thought there was one in existence. And its stored somewhere very special. Very safe. I assumed that spot had been compromised. But that clearly wasn't the case, so I have no real claim to that slate after all. Its yours. But if you like, I can take a look to see what it can do."

"That would be awesome actually. I can't really read Sheikah text, so in don't know its fill functionality. All I've been able to access is the camera, the map, and I'm able to talk to people at a Sheikah tower, I-" Mos eyes suddenly widened in fear. 'Dear Hylia, I never contacted Sophie again! Oh goddesses, she's going to kill me!"

Robbie let out a booming laugh. "HA! Yeah, I've been there bud. No worries. Hey, how about you let me see that, ill fiddle with it for a bit, then you can contact whoever this Sophie girl is, yeah?"

Mo handed him the slate, and Robbie took it over to his work bench, and began to tinker with it. After only a couple minutes, Robbie came back and told Mo to hold out his arm. He did, and Robbie pricked is finger with a small pin. Mo yelped in surprise, as the Sheikah placed a few drops of Mos blood into a small opening on the slate. The machine buzzed for a moment, then Robbie handed the slate back to Mo.

"There ya go, now this slate should only be able to be activated by you. Not only that, but I changed the text from Sheikah to Hylian. That way you can easily navigate its functions. Why don't you give it a try, and call your girlfr-"

Before Robbie can finish, there was a loud pounding on the door. "Robbie, Cherry!"

With a concerned look, Robbie heads over to open the door while Cherry makes her way downstairs again. He opens the door and finds an alarmed villager, frantically out of breath.

"They're here! There's…. Dear Hylia, there's so many of them!"

Robbie wastes no time taking charge of the situation. "Cherry, grab all the weapons we have and head to the front gate! Mo, come with me to get the turrets set up! You're on gunner duty tonight! Aster, go around and alert the other villagers. Have the children come to the lighthouse, and have all adults who are able to fight to gather near the front!"

Everyone follows his commands, and Mo rushes out of the lighthouse with Robbie and Aster, while Cherry heads around back to get the weapons.

"How are your fighting skills Mo?" He asks as they run towards a large shed on the side of the village.

"I was never much of a fighter. I don't think I've ever actually won a fight against anyone before," Mo replies, embarrassed.

"Well, there's a first time for everything. And now is that time!" Robbie shouts back. The shed was several yards away still, but before they could reach it, a giant explosion could be felt from the other side of the wall.

"Shit, I don't we don't have time for this. Mo, I'm handing this task off to you, get these turrets up to the walls as quick as you can. I need to go to the front gate to handle the situation there. If anyone from the village tells you to do something, do it. They know what they're doing, and they'll help you during the chaos. We all work together here, and well make it through tonight alive, understand?"

Normally, Mo would have been terrified. But after almost being beheaded, drowned, and sliced open by terrorists, he hardly felt a thing. He nodded sharply, and Robbie bolted off towards the front entrance.

It was time to man up. Robbie was right when he said this place was their home. Years ago, his father fought bravely to make sure he still had a home to return to. Now it was his turn to do the same for these people.

He opened the shed doors, revealing two guardian heads mounted on wheels. He didn't bother trying to figure out how to use them. He just grabbed the ropes and began to pull them out. Once he got to the wall, others would know how to properly use them.

He threw the rope over his shoulders, and made his way as quickly as he could towards shouting and explosions.

 **End of Chapter 10**


	12. Chapter 11 - Reactivation

The battle was over in minutes. Amongst the shouting and chaos, Mo managed to make his way to the gate and get the turrets to the villagers defending it. He climbed up the wall in case any monsters made it over, though he wasn't sure exactly what he would do if one did. Mo wasn't a fighter. He had never killed anything in his life, except for deer.

Luckily though, he didn't have to worry about it. The villagers atop the wall took the turrets and began to rain concentrated energy down on the invaders. Scores of Bokoblins and Moblins were torn to shreds by the force of the blasts, and those that weren't caught fire and burned in a matter of seconds. Among the explosions, Robbie dipped and flowed through the enemy ranks, slicing heads, necks and chests. He moved gracefully though them all, and not a single monster claw touched him. His Sheikah training was too much for the monsters.

Once the dust settled and the remaining monsters retreated, Robbie returned, and the turrets were lifted back down to the ground. Mo followed, with a smile on his face. The way they had repelled that attack so swiftly and effortlessly was incredible. Surely this was a cause for celebration.

But when he reached the ground, no one was smiling. In fact, he even heard the sounds of sobbing. Confused, he looked around. Why was no one celebrating. Then he saw. At the base of the wall was a collection of bodies. Several men and woman lay there, lifeless. The battle hadn't been as effortless as he had initially thought, and he felt foolish for thinking this place could get away unscathed. Robbie returned and knelt next to the bodies, chanting some sort of Sheikah prayer. When he was done, he gestured for the bodies to be moved, and several villagers, most likely family members, approached to take the bodies to a proper burial.

Mo walked up to Robbie. "I didn't realize the cost had been so high. I saw you out there fighting and thought there was no way anyone was going to get hurt. You, coupled with those turrets repelled them so quickly."

"It doesn't take long in fights like that. Sometimes its hours, sometimes it's a couple minutes. Either way, we always end up a few villagers short each time." Robbie sighed, rubbing his shoulder. "You did well to get those turrets up here in time though. Without them, the casualties would have been even higher. And props to you for staying on the front lines incase the wall was breached."

Mo blushed. He didn't want to admit he would have had no idea what to do had an actual monster approached him, but he didn't want to sit here and receive false praise either.

"Actually Robbie, while I did stay, I don't think I would have been much help if something had happened. I should count myself lucky you managed to keep them from getting too close to the wall. I was scared shitless the entire time."

Robbie let out a small chuckle. "Well, you were scared, and you stayed anyway. That's good enough for me, and that's all anyone expects from you. There's no shame in being afraid. You stayed to help, and that's what matters. So, thank you."

Mo didn't answer. Instead he jogged over to help with the corpses. Once the sun set, the bodies were given proper shrouds, and buried just outside of town, with Robbie and Cherry keeping watch. It was hardly uplifting, but a small sparkle of hope resonated within Mo. In the morning he was going to scale the cliffs and find that rogue guardian Robbie was talking about before, and study it. Perhaps he could make some adjustments and succeed where Robbie failed. It was unlikely, as Robbie was much more intelligent then he was, and spent much more time studying them, but Purah had always taught him that a fresh set of eyes, no matter how inexperienced, could find something that was previously unseen. He would just have to wait until tomorrow

\--

Robbie had prepared a small cot for him in his lab, and Mo slept a dreamless sleep. When he awoke, the sun was just beginning to shine through the window to the lab, and the Cuccos were sounding their alarm. Without hesitation, Mo bolted up and went to find Robbie.

"So, you want to climb down to the beach and check out those guardians? Be my guest. You won't find much, but sometimes a set of fresh eyes… well, I'm sure Purah's told you the rest. There's some climbing equipment over there. Please return it when you're done. I'm going to go help with some repairs at the wall, so ill see you later. Be careful down there. Some of those guardians might still be active."

Mo thanks Robbie for the equipment and headed around to the back of the lab. He approached the cliffside and looked down. A couple hundred feet. Luckily, there were several steps in the cliff that he could use as markers both on the way down and back up. Without waiting any longer, he put his climbing gear on, attached his rope to a secure spot on Robbie's lab, and began to repel.

Repelling was much easier then climbing. He was down to the first step in seconds. Then he repeated the process a couple more times and before he knew it, he was down on the beach. Around him, scores of discarded Guardians lay scattered. Several were broken in half, some half buried in sand. Mo went to each one to inspect it. This was his first real chance to look at a guardian up close, and he was amazed by how intricate and detailed both the design work and the wiring inside were.

He could have sat there studying broken Guardian parts all day until the sun began to set again. But out of the corner of his eye, Mo sensed something move. His head shot a glance in the direction of the movement, but he saw nothing. Perhaps his eyes were playing tricks on him. He wanted to go back to studying the Guardians insides, but decided it was best to place it safe and make sure there really was nothing there. Without anyone here to help him, it was better to be safe than sorry.

He drew his sword and scanned the beach. Aside from a few seagulls, it was quiet. Then he heard it. A low rumbling noise, like two stones rubbing together. He remembered the sound all too well. He ducked for cover as a Guardian stood up out of the sand. It seemed to be the only living one out here, so if he could just avoid detection, he should be fine. He tried to inspect the machine as it looked for prey. It was the same size as the others, but it was missing a leg. It glowed bright purple, just like all the others after the Calamity struck.

He tried to think of a plan, but unfortunately the only one he could come up with was HIDE. But naturally, with Mos luck, this didn't last for too long. He wasn't sure how, but the Guardian had suddenly sensed his presence and slammed its way over to Mos hiding spot. It tossed the broken shell of its brethren aside and lashed out at Mo, causing him to yelp. He dove to the sand as the Guardian pursued, finally pinning Mo to the ground. He heard the familiar 'beep, beep beep' of the machine powering up its laser. In seconds Mo would be done for, unless he could think of a better plan.

Then a thought came to his mind. When he had been studying the broken machines earlier, he noticed they all had a small hole, just the right size for his Sheikah slates strange metal rod to fit in. He tried to plug his slate in, hoping to reactivate the Guardians, but to no avail. However, this Guardian was already alive. Maybe, just maybe, if he could find a way to hook up his Sheikah Slate into this Guardian, something would happen. If he could even stay alive that long.

Just as the mech was about to turn Mos head into a bloody smear on the sand, he managed to wiggle free from its grasp. Instead of running away, he jumped forward, onto the Guardian itself, scaling its frame. Mo frantically looked for the connection location. Finally, after being thrashed around for a few seconds, he spotted it, just under the Guardians eye. This would be risky, but if he could pull it off, he might live. He pulled out his Sheikah Slate and moved in front of the eye. Immediately the Guardian began to charge its laser. He only had a few seconds.

He plugged his slate into the connection port and instantly the machine froze up and sputtered. Mo pressed the "Reset" button. Before, back in the Shadow Pass, his slate hadn't been connected to anything, to pressing Reset did nothing. But now, with a proper connection, the Guardian went limp.

"Initializing Manual Override. Shutting down."

The red color from the Guardians markings and design began to fade, and soon, a strange, gas like substance was expelled from the machine with a hiss.

"Rebooting"

A soft blue glow began to emanate from the mech. The same blue glow as Robbie's and Purah's weapons and tech. The Guardian turned back on and stood up. However, this time, it didn't attack Mo. It looked at him for a few moments, then looked up, at the rising sun. It walked into the surf and stopped, still looking at the sun. The beeps and whirling noises it made almost made it sound… happy?

But that had to just be his imagination. There's no way a machine could feel emotions. And yet, as he looked at the Guardian, beeping and buzzing, playing in the surf, he couldn't help but think that must be the case. He cautiously approached the thing, remembering what Robbie had said about his earlier attempts. As he did, he looked at his slate and saw a couple options available to him. The one that was highlighted was "At Ease" mode. This might explain why the Guardian was so relaxed.

As he got closer, the Guardian turned to look at him. He pointed its laser at him, and Mo began to run, but this one was different. This laser was blue in color and seemed to be scanning his face instead of taking aim. Once it was done, the Sheikah Slate buzzed.

"Facial recognition completed. Name: Monari"

The Guardian beeped and set itself down on the ground in front of him.

"Wow, this is… amazing. I can't believe I'm controlling a Guardian."

At that, the guardian slammed one of its legs on the ground and let out a series of quick, angry beeps.

"Okay, okay sorry, not control. How about, uh… communicate?"

The guardian seemed to ponder this and then beeped.

"Wait a second, how can you understand me?" Mo asked.

As a reply, the Guardian picked up Mos Sheikah slate, and used one of its claws to point at the small black mesh at the bottom of the slate.

"You can understand me if I talk into this?" Mo asked, to which the Guardian nodded.

Mo couldn't help but laugh in disbelief. This was utterly insane. He was talking to a Guardian. "So… I see you like looking at the sun. Do you think its pretty?" He asked, trying to gage the receptiveness of the voice activation, and to see how far he could push things.

Hearing the question, it stood up and began to pace back and forth, excitedly, beeping all the while.

"I like it too, except I like it when the sun sets. Maybe you'll like it too." It beeped in agreement.

"Say, how about instead of sitting here on this beach, we head back to see my friend, Robbie? He-"

The Guardian suddenly lashed out and its center eye turned red upon hearing Robbie's name.

"Alright alright! Bad idea I see. That's fine, how about you just stay right here and keep playing in the sand and water. Will you wait here until I get back?"

It turned around and walked back into the surf, splashing in the water, and Mo took that as a yes. He hurried back to the cliffside and began his ascent back to Robbie's lab. He had to tell someone about this.

\--

Once he reached the top, it was nearly noon. He spent all morning climbing, and was exhausted, but he couldn't rest. Not now. He needed to find Robbie and tell him what had happened. He searched for the Sheikah for some time but finally found him still up at the wall.

"Robbie, come quickly I need to show you something!"

"Not now Mo. We need to get this wall repaired before we get attacked again. Another assault could come at any time."

"No but I really think you need to-"

"No, later"

"Robbie-!"

Now Robbie turned around t completely face Mo. "I SAID NO! Do you not understand how important this is? If this wall isn't fixed, and those who died last night will just be the beginning. Each time they take more and more from us, and its my job to make sure that number is as low as possible. They just keep bloody coming Mo, and there's no changing that! So, whatever you found, it can wait, because its not worth the lives of these people! Now help or go away!" Robbie's face was red and sweaty. As he turned back to work, Mo held his tongue and went back to the lab.

They just keep coming. That's what Robbie had said. All of them came from the Citadel. If the Citadel was destroyed, or at least made unusable as a base, maybe then the monster attacks would stop. If he could find a way to launch an assault on the Citadel, he could stop the monster attacks, and allow the citizens of Akkala to leave the region.

But as Robbie had said before, the place was a nest for monsters and foul creatures. The Citadel was also a fortress. Going there would be suicide. There was no way he would even get close. The place was built to be impenetrable by ground troops. The only thing that had been able to overtake the Citadel was… Guardians.

Wait, that's it. As more and more ideas and plans ran through his head, he hurriedly gathered some food and water into a pack. He searched around Robbie's lab and found several parts of armor he could use. Most were made from Guardian parts or ancient tech, but it was better then nothing. Before long he was decked out from head to toe in armor made from ancient parts. He left just as much of a machine as the guardians looked. He felt invincible.

After lastly grabbing a sword made of Sheikah tech, he snuck out the back to the cliffside, and began to scale down the cliffs once more. He had a plan. And to carry it out, he was going to need the help of his new friend.

They were going to take down the Citadel.

 **End of Chapter 11**


	13. Chapter 12 - Assault on the Citadel

Mo reached the bottom and found the Guardian still splashing in the water. He ran up to it and called out, to which the Guardian stopped what it was doing and came over to sit in front of him.

"Hey bud, how do you feel about going on a little adventure?"

The guardian squeaked happily, lifting Mo up onto its head, waiting for instructions.

"Where headed to the Citadel. Do you know where that is?" Mo asked. The Guardian shook its head. Wondering how to proceed, Mo unhooked the Sheikah Slate and pulled up the map. He pressed the icon where the Citadel was located, and the Guardian buzzed momentarily. Then it took off down the beach. That must have done the trick, because when he looked back at the map, he could see the icon that represented his location moving down the beach in tandem with himself.

As they were making their way down the East Akkala Beach, Mo thought of something.

"Do you have a name?" He asked the Guardian. No response. "Would you like a name?" This time the guardian beeped happily, and Mo began to think of names to call this thing. He once had a pet named Gully when he was younger. The dog sadly died while he was still a puppy, but he always remembered fond memories of playing with it. And remembering the way this machine played I the surf, reminded him of his old dog.

"Do you mind if a call you Gully from now on?" He asked. The Guardian raised one of its legs and used it claws to give a 'thumbs up' signal to Mo. "Alright, Gully it is."

Gully and Mo continued to race through Akkala. They passed the beach and made their way along the Akkala Wetlands. Once they were there, they stopped for a bit and waited for the sun to set. The monsters were more active at night, but they needed the cover of darkness to enter. If all went well, Gully would be able to get Mo inside, and they could destroy the place from within.

The sun finally set and the two made their way up the natural incline, up to the Akkala Parade Grounds. They finally reached familiar ground when they crossed the Akkala Span and set themselves down just across the bridge to the Citadel. Mo sat behind a bush, while Gully tried its best to hide behind some trees. The two Guardian walkers that were present last time Mo came by were still there. This was going to be the hard part.

"You ready bud?" Mo asked. Gully let out a few concerned beeps but lowered himself into position. Mo grabbed on to the bottom of Gully and positioned himself to that he would be invisible to any enemies walking near them. When he was fully attached, he gave a small tap, and Gully moved forwards across the bridge. Mo held his breath as Gully walked right passed the guards and continued its way inside. Finally, out of sight from the entrance, Mo unhooked himself and crouched down next to Gully.

They were in!

Next, they had to find a way to destroy this place. Or at the very least, make this fortress uninhabitable. To do that, Mo was hoping they would find some oil or gas, that they could spread around the place and burnt it, driving the monsters out. However, they had no such luck. Gully followed Mo around the giant hallways and rooms, and whenever a pack of monsters would come by, Mo would just hook on the underside of Gully until they passed. The monsters weren't all that smart, so evading them was easy enough.

After several minutes of looking, the duo finally came to the armory. Scattered about were swords, shields, spears, bows, and explosives. Mo eyed the explosive devises, as they could be used later. He took a few and stuffed them into his pouch. After leaving the armory, they passed the kitchens, the barracks, and a few other rooms used for things Mo didn't recognize.

Finally, he found it. After an hour of searching the fortress, he found a room containing dozens of glowing blue orbs. They looked familiar, but just to be certain, he pulled out his camera and scanned the orbs. After he did so, some info on the objects popped up. Reading them to himself, he figured these were the perfect things to destroy this place. They were Guardian Cores. Highly pressurized, and highly explosive. A single explosion from just one of them was enough to level a house. But a room this big full of them would be enough to decimate the entire fortress.

They must have kept them around to power their guardian sentries and flying units. But that was going to be the biggest mistake of their lives. Mo was about to set the explosives he found earlier, but was stopped by Gully, who grabbed him by the collar and rushed over to the corner and sat itself down and turned off his lights.

What on earth happened? Did Gully shut down? Or did he have a short wire? Before Mo could inspect, a patrol of monsters walked in. A black moblin flanked by two white bokoblins grunted at each other, and the two bokobins went to each stack of orbs to inspect it. Once they were satisfied, they grunted to each other again then left the room. Once they were gone, Gully powered back up, beeping cautiously.

"Wow, good thinking there bud. You really saved my skin there. But you bring up a good point. If we plant these explosives, they'll find them on their next inspection and then were screwed. So how do we-" as he was pondering this, he glanced up to see a lit chandelier. That gave him an idea. If he could attach enough explosives to the metal frame, and then place one additional explosive far enough above them, he could blow the first one, causing the others to drop and explode on impact, detonating the cores. But the trick was how to get up there. Gully couldn't throw him that high, and there was no way to scale he walls to reach it, since it was placed in the center of the ceiling.

He slammed his fist against the wall in frustration, and as he did, a long cord shot out of the hand piece on the armor he had taken from Robbie's lab. Surprised, he balled his fist and yanked the cord that was now hooked into the wall. As he clenched his fist, the cord retracted back into its compartment underneath Mos hand. Interesting. This gave him an idea.

He looked more closely at the armor and saw that both hand pieces had the same construction, which meant both hands had cords in them. He could use them like a grappling hook and reach the light fixture. He carefully took aim and shot one of the cords up into the ceiling above the chandelier, successfully hooking into it. He made a fist, and the cord retracted, only instead of coming back to him, it pulled him upwards, towards the ceiling. The harder he clenched his fist, the faster he was pulled upwards. Finally, he reached the top, and began planting the explosives, careful not to drop any. Once everything was situated, he climbed the chain that attached the frame to the ceiling and planted one more bomb. This would be the one he would wire to blow once they were a safe distance away.

Once he was done, he repelled down to Gully, and gave the signal to head out. But as they were about to do so, a stray bokoblin walked by the door and noticed him. Just as the bokoblin was about to cry out for its friends, Mo panicked and launched his cord at the enemy, impaling it in the chest. Stunned, the enemy was then violently pulled forward towards Mo, landing with a thud in the ground. Without waiting, Gully moved forward to crush the creature under its heavy claws.

The crunch of the bones being crushed was sickening, but it had to be done to maintain the stealth of the mission. After Mo finished throwing up in his mouth a little, he signaled to Gully and he reattached underneath, it was time to get out of here.

They retraced their steps to find their way back out, but as they neared the next to last turn, a loud alarm was sounded. I horn echoed through the halls, and the sound of dozens of footsteps could be heard coming from either direction. They must have found the dead body and were searching for the killers. Panicked, he unhooked accidentally and fell to the floor, as Gully kept racing forward.

"Wait!" Mo shouted, and his Guardian stopped to look at him. With a couple panicked beeps, Gully shot an energy blast just over Mos head, which exploded behind him. Mo turned to the sound of several monsters yelping or roaring, as they were burned alive or torn apart by the blast. Shit, this was not good. They had already zeroed in on their location. More monsters kept coming, from each room in every direction. There was no way he was going to be able to reach Gully in time. The monsters were already rushing past the machine, thinking it was one of their own, much to Gully's confusion. Without any other options left, Mo took aim at the ceiling and launched a cord.

It stuck, and he pulled himself upwards, over the heads of the monsters closing in on him. Before he reached the ceiling, he released the cord, letting himself drop a few feet before firing another at the ceiling a few yards in front if him. He continued this process until he was quickly zooming over the heads of the monsters below him. Gully followed him, blasting away any of the monsters near him. When Mo reached the last corner, he shot a hook into the wall on his right and used the momentum to swing around and avoiding smashing against the wall. As he neared the exit to the citadel, he extended the length of his cord and landed safely on Gully's head, and together the two raced out of the fortress ad across the bridge.

"Gully, blow the bridge!" Mo shouted, and the Guardian shot blast after blast the bridge, causing it to crumble and crack. As he did so, Mo triggered the explosives. At first, he didn't hear a thing, but then a sudden tremor and ear popping explosion was heard. The fortress and ground shook, and Mo looked to see fire shooting out of the windows and doors to the structure. The hallways were the perfect funnels for the fire of the explosion to follow. The inside must be completely up in flames, along with any monster left inside. Those that made it out tried to frantically put themselves out, to no avail, opting instead to throw themselves from the ramparts. Several Guardians exited out the main doorway after Mo, but as they took aim while crossing the bridge, it collapsed after being severely weakened by Gully, and several enemy Guardians fell to their doom in the chasm below.

"Gully, one more thing then I think were done here. Blast the top of the doorway. Let's make sure whatever's left inside can't get out, and nothing else can get in to reuse the place. Gully beeped happily and shot blast after blast at the doorway, causing debris, stones and dirt to fall and block the doorway. After the doorway was sufficiently blocked, Mo and Gully sat there on the far side of the bridge for a few moments. Flames still burned within the Citadel, and monsters fled where they could. One thing was for sure, the Citadel, and all the monsters who took up homes in it, were no longer a threat.

They had completed the mission!

"Come on Gully, lets go home. We need to tell Robbie about what happened and return his equipment." The Guardian threw a small fit again upon hearing Robbie's name. "Oh, you'll get over it you big baby. Come on."

Gully reluctantly trudged forward back to the sanctuary. Mo felt incredible. He had taken down the Citadel with a single Guardian as his ally. If he could reprogram more and build an army of machines ready to do good, they could reclaim not just Akkala and the Citadel, but all of Hyrule back from the Calamity. The possibilities were endless.

For some reason, his thoughts strayed to Sophie. He wondered how she would react to what he had just done. Or if she would approve of building a Guardian army. Or- Oh dear Hylia, he completely forgot about Sophie. He was supposed to message her again a day after their last talk. And that was about a week ago! Goddess have mercy on his soul, he was so screwed. She was going to kill him!

"Come on bud, lets get back to a safe place, so I can get yelled at by my not girlfriend."

Gully appeared to find this amusing, but did as he was instructed, and the two raced back to the Sanctuary.

 **End of Chapter 12**


	14. Chapter 13 - The Dream

Mo and Gully took their time heading back to The Sanctuary. Despite missing Sophie terribly, he knew quite well that she was going to chew him out big time. As he thought about what he was going to say to her, the Sanctuary gates came into view. He was relieved they were back to safety and was excited to tell Robbie the good news. But as they got closer, he began to hear shouting and panic. It wasn't until they got even closer and saw the walls lined with bows and crossbows aimed at him and Gully, that he realized they were the source of the panic.

Mo leaped down off Gully's head and ran forwards, waving his arms high above his head.

"Wait, wait, wait! Don't shoot! Its me! Its Mo!"

The villagers looked hesitant but maintained their position. It wasn't until he heard Robbie's voice that he began to relax.

"Is that Mo? Stand down-, holy Hylia, Mo what are you doing with that thing get away!"

The sight of Robbie caused Gully to beep angrily, an it moved into a defensive stance. Robbie was no different, instantly grabbing a bow and taking aim, yelling at Mo to get out of the line of fire.

"Robbie wait! This one is different! Hes been reprogrammed. He helped me destroy the Citadel!"

"Destroy the-, Mo what the hell are you talking about?" Robbie yelled, still not lowering his weapon.

"I found Gully on the beach. You said the monsters kept attacking, so we went to take care of the problem. The Citadel is completely uninhabitable now. The Sanctuary is safe. And its mostly thanks to Gully!"

"You named that thing Gully?" Robbie asked, lowering his bow just a bit.

"I just told you the Citadel was destroyed, and the threat is gone, and you're worried about what I named my new friend?" Mo asked in disbelief.

Robbie thought about that. "Yeah that's a good point. Doesn't really seem important I comparison. But still, you can't expect us to just let a Guardian into our village. What if it goes haywire?"

"Gully isn't like that. Hes our ally. We can trust him. And you can trust me."

"Alright. You can come in. But I want to inspect that Guardian right away. You need to tell me everything. And if that thing acts up, its going down!"

"The only reason hell act out is if hes threatened. So just be nice to him and you'll be fine. C'mon bud, lets head in so Robbie can take a look at you."

Gully beeped nervously but followed me through the now open gates. The villagers gathered around, staring at Gully in disbelief. They were right to be afraid. Guardians had destroyed everything. But Gully was different. Mo knew that, he just needed the others to know it to.

The duo headed up to the lab where Robbie was waiting for them. He chuckled when he saw Mo wearing the ancient armor he built.

"I see you not only befriended a Guardian, but you also stole the armor I was working on."

"If it's any consolation, it saved my life and helped my complete my mission. The grappling hooks in the gloves are really handy." Mo admitted. "Let me fly right over the heads of the monsters attacking us."

"Wait, you're saying you used the hook shot function to fly? I used it as a way to grab objects too far for me to reach. I never imagined using it to help propel myself through the air. That's some smart thinking Mo. But anyway, do you mind telling me how on earth you managed to befriend this Guardian and take down one of the most heavily defended fortresses in all of Hyrule?"

The two of them sat down while Gully sat outside, as he was too large to fit through the door. Instead, he just peeped inside to see what he could, his blue eye shining through the window. Mo described the process he used to subdue and reprogram Gully. He detailed his plan to take down the Citadel, and how Gully helped him not only get inside, but also escape and ensure no monsters escaped. Robbie's expression didn't change, and he sat there expressionless, concentrating on Mo's words. When Mo was done, Robbie finally spoke.

"I recognize this Guardian. Hes the one who almost threw Cherry off the cliff when we tried working on him. We ended up pushing him down to the beach below, so he couldn't hurt anyone else. I recognize him because that gash in his side. Maybe that's why he gets so buzzy when you mention my name. If you don't mind Mo, id like to study him. I promise to be gentle and kind, since doing anything else would obviously provoke him to attack. Do you think you could convince your new friend to let me have a look at him?"

Mo nodded and walked back outside to an eagerly awaiting Gully.

"Hey bud. I got a favor to ask you. Think you would mind letting Robbie have a look at you? I know he's not your favorite person ever, but he promised to be nice and not hurt you. I promise you'll be okay."

Gully was hesitant. It was strange to see an expressionless robot and still be able to tell exactly how it was feeling. Eventually Gully gave him a 'thumbs up' signal, and Mo signaled for Robbie to come outside.

"Why don't you go rest up," Robbie said, pulling out some tools. "You had a busy night."

"Thanks, but I have one more thing I need to do first," Mo grumbled, walking back inside. He flopped down on his cot and pulled out his Sheikah Slate, hesitating to push the button. She might not even be there when he sent the call out. Maybe that was for the best. She probably hated him by now. Mo sighed, and pressed the tower icon on the map, sending out the call.

He his surprise, an image showed up on his slate. Well, not an image per se, but a moving image, as if he was looking through a window into that exact area. He must have hit the wrong button. His perspective was as if he was looking up from the pedestal in the center of the tower that Purah had activated. And even more surprising, there she was. Sophie was laying on the ground, wrapped in a fluffy blanket she must have dragged from home. He softly called out to her. When she didn't move, he called out even louder.

This time she awoke with a start, looking around confused.

"I wasn't sleeping Purah I was just resting my eyes, I-" She glanced over the pedestal where Mos face must have been present. Her face turned from a look of panic to one of anger.

"Monari, how DARE you! Where in Hylias name have you been. Do you have any idea how worried I- I mean we were! You said you would call back the next day, and its been over a week!" She rushed towards the pedestal, continuing to yell at Mo for not calling. Her hair was a frizzy mess, and her eyes were bloodshot and had deep dark circles underneath them. She looked like she had been up for days.

"Sophie, are you okay? You look sick?" Mo asked, concerned.

"Sick with worry you buffoon! I've been up here for days waiting to receive your call! Purah has been bringing me food and water and I've been helping her study this stupid tower, but I didn't' have the heart to tell her I'm only here because I was waiting for you! What took you so long!? You tell me this instant!"

"Its… a long story. I don't really want to talk about it right now." Mo said, wincing with every word, ready for Sophie to go off on him again.

"You think I care what you want to do right no Mo? You owe me an explanation!"

"Gah fine! I blew up a couple buildings. One was an accident the other was on purpose. I unknowingly joined a terrorist organization, and I'm now friends with a giant sentient machine. Happy!?" Mo yelled, losing his temper. He immediately regretted it, because as soon as he said his last word, Sophie's expression changed, and she looked like she was about to cry.

"Are… are you okay?" She whimpered, pulling her blankets around her face to hide herself.

"Hey, yeah I'm fine. Sophie, I'm sorry for yelling. Its just, its been a strange couple of days, and I'm exhausted. I'm sorry for keeping you waiting for so long. I know your anxiety is pretty bad. I should have called. Its just so much has happened since I left home."

"I understand. Deep down I knew there had to be a good reason you didn't contact me. It's just, I missed you, and I was really worried. I think my hair is starting to fall out. Look!" She grasped a clump of hair and pulled, and several loose strands cam out with barely a tug. It was worse than he initially thought.

"Well, I'm okay. Safe and sound in Akkala. I found another settlement. Its run by a Sheikah named Robbie. If you see Purah, can you tell her he's alive and well?"

Sophie nodded. "Its incredible that you actually found something out there. Now that you found what you were looking for, do you think you'll be coming home soon?"

Mo didn't answer. He wanted to head back to Hateno. But for some reason he felt like his mission out in the world wasn't done. The New Champions were still out there. If he returned home, they could follow him and attack the town. But one look at Sophie, and he knew he couldn't tell her a terrorist group was hunting for him.

"Hopefully. Maybe sometime a little later, you can come out here with me too, and we can travel all over Hyrule. Gully will keep us safe, and its beautiful out here. Different then Hateno, but still beautiful."

"That would be really nice. But Mo you look terrible. You should rest. Call me back whenever you get the chance. I understand you'll probably be busy a lot while you're out there, but if you ever have any down time, Purah and I are usually up here working on the tower. She misses you too ya know. And everyone back in town. Its not the same without you around." Sophie said.

"I miss everyone too. Tell Purah and my parents I said hello. I'll call when I have the chance okay?"

"Sounds good. Be safe out there Mo. I want that scarf back. And you."

"I will be. Talk to you soon. Bye." With that Mo pressed the red 'X' in the corner of the screen ad the image flickered out.

"That wasn't so bad," He thought to himself.

Mo put his slate down and flopped his head down onto his pillow. It didn't take long for him to drift off to sleep.

Mo usually had dreamless sleeps. Whenever he did dream, they were usually sporadic and crazy, and he never remembered them for longer then a few minutes after he woke up. But when he fell asleep this time, it was different.

Mo was standing in a dark abyss. He could feel the ground he was standing on, but he couldn't see it. The sky was gone, and he seemed to be in the middle of absolutely nowhere. The darkness was claustrophobic, but before he went insane, a small light appeared in front of him. The light grew larger and larger, and seemed to be coming directly towards him. He tried to run towards it, but his legs refused to move, no matter how hard he tried.

The light stopped several meters in front of him, and to his surprise, it wasn't just a ball of light. He had to squint to see it, but he could just barely make out the shape of a person from which this light was emanating from. It was definitely a woman, but he couldn't make out her features.

"Hello? Who are you?" Mo shouted. At first, he didn't receive an answer, so he repeated his question, louder. This time he got a response.

"Time is short, and my powers are limited. I have been watching you Monari. I have seen your courage in the face of adversity, and I have seen you defy those who would do wrong, by doing what is right. It is because of this I have chosen to ask for your help." The woman's words seemed to echo.

"What are you talking about? You didn't tell me who you are. What do you need me to help with?" Mo asked, confused and dazed.

"I'm sorry I cannot say more. But as I said, my powers are limited. If you wish to save your town, and all Hyrule from destruction, then go to Hyrule Castle. The path will be full of peril, but you must make it. Make your way to the princess's study. There you will find the truth."

"The truth? What truth? None of this makes any sense! What's happening! Tell me more!" Mo yelled, but the woman was already beginning to fade from view. Soon the light blinked out of existence and Mo awoke with a start. What in Hylias name had just happened?

Mo didn't go back to sleep after that. Instead he lay awake, pondering the strange dream he just had. Was it really just a dream? It had seemed to real. And he now had an extreme urge to go to the castle. And what was this truth the woman kept talking about? The truth behind the Calamity? Or maybe the truth behind the princess's treachery? Either way, could he really trust something he had seen in a dream?"

He lay in bed until noon, until he had finally made up his mind. He stood up, grabbed his things, and walked to the door just as Robbie was walking in.

"Going somewhere?" Robbie asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Hyrule Castle." Mo said dryly.

"You can't go there Mo. The place is a death trap. Its oozing with Malice and patrolled day and night by not just Guardians, but monsters too. Stronger monsters then you've ever faced."

"There's something there I need to see. The princess's study." Mo replied.

Robbie furrowed his brows. "And just why do you feel the need to go there?"

Mo told him about the dream he had. How different and real it felt. Even if it was just a dream, he had no doubt he would find something useful there. Information, new tech, anything. Robbie seemed trouble when hearing about his dream.

"That's strange. To think she would call out for help now. And him of all people. I wonder…"

"What are you saying Robbie? I can't really hear you." Mo said, moving closer to try to hear whispering Sheikah.

"Nothing, don't worry about it. Perhaps it's a promising idea for you to go after all. I mean, you did just take down an entire fortress, what trouble is a castle swarming with enemies gonna cause you. But if you're going to go, we need to do something about those clothes." Robbie pointed out.

"What's wrong with my clothes?" Mo complained, looking down at himself.

"That red color stands out like a sore thumb. If you're going to be navigating the halls and lands of Hyrule Castle, you need to blend it. Wear something darker. Also, we need to get rid of that mop on your head. If you're going to use those grappling hooks again, you best not have hair flapping in your eyes, impairing your movement and vision."

"Hmm, I guess you're right. What do you suggest I wear then?" Mo asked, genuinely curious.

"Follow me" Robbie said, beckoning upstairs.

Mo followed him and was led upstairs to Cherry and Robbie's room. They approached the closet, but before Mo could enter, Robbie called Cherry to give Mo a haircut. While she was doing that, Robbie rummaged through the closet, before finally pulling out a dark long-sleeved shirt, and dark pants.

Soon Cherry finished and she stood back to admire her work.

"What do you think hun? Not bad right?"

Robbie nodded in agreement.

"Much better then when you cut my hair, what gives?" Cherry just laughed and gave Mo the okay to stand up. He picked up the clothes and walked into the closet to try them on. When he emerged and looked in the mirror, he looked like a completely different person. He looked more mature, and the darker clothes definitely didn't stand out as much as he previous attire. But he still kept Sophie's scarf wrapped around his neck. No matter what, he wasn't going to part with it, regardless of what Robbie said.

"There you go Mo. You look like a true adventurer now. You shouldn't have any problem getting into Hyrule Castle now, especially with Gully by your side.

"Oh yeah, did you find anything interesting with him?" Mo inquired.

"Yeah, before you head out, I wanted to show you a couple things, come on."

"Is everything okay?" Mo asked worriedly.

"Come on, you just need to come see."

 **End of Chapter 13**


	15. Chapter 14 - The Tower

Mo and Gully raced down the path towards the citadel, and out of Akkala. Mo was determined to reach the castle as soon as possible. It wouldn't be easy, but with Gully by his side, a fully functional Sheikah Slate, and new armor, he knew he could do it, and finally learn the truth. Behind the calamity, the princess's treachery, and prevent it from happening again. Once he did that, he could finally return home to his parents, and to Sophie.

Four Days Earlier

"So, what's so important you can't just tell me?" Mo asked, following Robbie out to the back of the lab where Gully lay.

"Its just easier to show you that's all. Come here and look." Robbie replied, grabbing Mos Sheikah Slate and holding it up. "Remember when I drew some of your blood and placed it in the slate so that only you could activate it?"

Mo nodded his head to answer.

"Well when you plugged that slate into Gully here through this connecter port, it had the same effect. Resetting him drove out the malice what was corrupting him, and you DNA was in the slate had a lasting impact on him. You might notice he acts a bit different then the other Guardians. Its because if your blood. You two are connected now, ever since you reset him. His wants are your wants, your goals are his goals. Hell protect you to the death if he must. I've never seen machinery function like this before. And the best part is, it can't be undone. I tried with my own blood, and it had no effect on him."

Gully beeped happily, picking up Mo and placing him on his head, seemingly eager to get going.

"Seems like Gully is ready for another adventure" Robbie chuckled. Do you have everything you need? Did Cherry give you the supplies we prepared for you?"

"Yes, she did thank you. Are you sure you want me to keep the gloves? There your invention?" Mo asked, holding up his gloved hand.

"Yeah don't worry about it. You made better use out of them then I ever will here. Where in the castle did you say you were going again?"

"The princess's study. The voice in my dream said I would find the truth there."

"Well be careful, obviously. I haven't been outside Akkala since the Calamity, but I've known others who came from the outside, somehow slipping passed the Citadel. They told me stories about friends and family who went here and were never heard from again. Id really not like that to be the case with you. Were all starting to like you Mo" Robbie laughed, slapping Mo on the back.

"Well I'll do be best. With your help and supplies, and Gully with me, I'm sure I'll be fine."

Mo and Gully had now reached the Thimms Bridge, just at the base of Crenel Hills He sat at the edge of the bridge, with his feet hanging over the water. He was munching on some oats, trying to toss some pebbles into the center of a strange rock formation in the water below.

Being out in the open should have been frightening. Any number of monsters of Guardians could make their way over to him. But with Gully around, he didn't feel scared anymore. Doing something as simple as this was okay because he knew he had back up incase anything went wrong. Gully tried to throw some of the rocks too, but soon gave up and sat down behind Mo.

He pulled out the slate and called up Sophie, who answered almost instantly.

"Do you just sit by that tower and wait for me to call?" Mo laughed, looking at an out of breath Sophie.

"I mean, yeah pretty much. Purah is up here almost none stop, and she enjoys when I am here to help her. Its actually not all that bad now that I'm not worried about you as much. This tech is pretty interesting."

"That's good to hear. Everyone still doing alright?"

"Yes sir, what about you?"

'I'm doing alright. I'm with Gully so I don't think anything too bad is gonna happen."

"Who's Gully?" Sophie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, he's the machine I'm friends with that I told you about. Here look." Mo moved his slate so that Gully was in the frame. He beep and waved his claw at Sophie, who looked dumbfounded with her eye wide."

"You… You're friends with a Guardian?" Sha squeaked.

"Yeah, I was at Robbie's and-"

"Did I just hear that right!?" A voice shouted from behind Sophie. Purah. "Is that Mo? Is this how you two have been talking? How did you activate it? Mo, sweetie, hello its me, Purah!" She tried to shove her face into the screen to look at Mo, much to Sophie's annoyance.

"WOAH! Mo is that a Guardian? Its not attacking, is it friendly! Tell me everything!" Purah's shouting continued.

"We reprogram-" Mo started, but was cut off once again.

"Reprogrammed? Holy Hylia who would have thought that was still possible! Re you sure its not just the Guardian? Maybe it's a prototype? Or maybe it's the slate you have. I only thought there was one but if there's more, holy moly! Mo, how-"

"PURAH!" Sophie and Mo both shouted at once.

"Calm down woman!" Mo shouted through the screen. "When I come home, you can study him all you want. But for right now can I have a moment with Sophie?"

Purah caught herself, realizing she was being overwhelming. 'Of course, of course, I'm sorry. Its just, a reprogrammed Guardian would open up so may possibilities. But ill let you two lover birds have your alone time. Just don't end up kissing the screen."

Mo was embarrassed by that, but before she left, he had one more thing to say.

"Purah, one more thing. I don't know if Sophie already told you, but Robbie's alive."

'Oh?" Purah looked surprised. And was she… blushing?"

"Purah are you okay? You look flushed," Sophie teased.

"Yes, yes I'm fine. I just… I'm glad he's okay. I was afraid I had lost my work colleague that's all. Any who, love you Mo, be careful out there. Were all rooting for you!"

Finally, Purah walked away to fiddle with some more pieces of tech.

"So anyway, what are you calling about? Its been a few days so I figured you were busy. Just have some down time?" Sophie asked.

"Actually, I just wanted to call because I'm about to head somewhere dangerous and talking to you always calms my nerves."

"Oh? Where are you headed?" She asked, looking worried.

"Hyrule Castle. There's something inside that will help us uncover the truth behind the Calamity. Maybe a way to destroy it for good and prevent it from coming back."

"But Mo, you're walking right into its lair! The castle is the most dangerous place in the entire kingdom! How are you gonna even get close?"

"I have a plan. I just wanted to talk again just in case things… go south."

Sophie whined and tried to pull up her scarf around her face, only to realize she didn't have anything with her to do so, so instead decided to opt for covering her face with her hands.

"That's too dangerous Mo. Its not worth it. Just come home. I miss you."

"I can't. I need to see this through, I need to know the truth for sure. And before I head in I need to tell you something." This time Mo brought the scarf up around his face, hiding his lobster read cheeks.

"What is it?" She asked, eyes widened.

"I… uh… I'm glad we did an activity together before I left. It was kinda one of the happiest days I've had in a while. And something I had been wanting to do for a long time. And…" Mo stuttered, unsure of how to proceed.

"I'm glad we did an activity together too. I had always wanted too, but you always seemed so busy, I figured you didn't have any time for me." Sophie replied.

"I had always wanted to too. I was… just too nervous to talk to you. And then when I offered to leave the village, I realized I couldn't wait any longer. I'm sorry it took so long."

"Don't be sorry silly. All the times I spent just hanging out with you at the library or with Manny were some of the happiest times I've felt too. And I can't wait for you to come back so we can do all those things again." She smiled, lowering her hands.

This was it. It was now or never. Mo took a deep breath and steeled himself for what was about to come next.

"Sophie, I lov-" Before he could finish, he heard a scream on the other end, as Purah was electrocuted by one of her contraptions, and was sent spiraling into Sophie, knocking her against the terminal and abruptly ending the call.

"You've gotta be kidding me." Mo grumbled. He sighed, and the adrenalin in his body went away. "Guess ill just tell her when I get back. You ready to go bud?"

Gully nodded and picked Mo up. They continued their race towards the castle. If the map was correct, they were almost there. All they needed to do was pass the Crenel Hills and cross the next river, and they would be there. A part of him wanted to just turn back and go home. But he couldn't. They sped around the hills, and before they even crossed the bridge, Mo could see the castle, or at least what was left of it.

The ruins rose high in the distance, enveloped by a swirling purple mass of smoke and clouds. Mo felt an overwhelming sense of dread just looking at the place. He had to remind himself he was here to explore and find something, not to fight whatever lurked inside. Not yet anyway. As they got closer to the remains of the castle walls, Mo hopped down off Gully's head, and attached himself to his underside, using the same technique he used to enter the citadel.

While he could definitely see the danger, Mo wasn't exactly seeing the difficulty. As he passed several ruined buildings and what looked to be an old cathedral, he saw piles of bones laying all around. They must have been the remains of the old castle residents. His father had told him that the Calamity struck first from within the castle itself and used the Guardians to demolish the entire castle town. It was sickening to see the bones, knowing that their own princess caused their terrible deaths. But now he was so close to uncovering her treachery and revealing her for the traitor she was.

Gully approached the gate to the main castle and pushed the gate open. They were immediately targeted by the Guardian sentries located on either side of the gate, as well as the flying Guardian patrolling the area. But were just as quickly untargeted once they saw there was no threat, only Gully. That had been a close one, and this process continued until they reached the west side of the castle where the princess's study was. Now Mo could see how entering this place on his own would have been suicide. He never would have made it past the front gate and jointed the piles of bodies.

Mo unhooked himself when Gully reached a tower on the farthest side of the castle. He looked up but couldn't find any ledges to climb up. The tower he was looking up at had a stone bridge connecting it to the rest of the castle. Maybe if he went through from the inside he could get in that way. He was sure this was the right tower, but there was no way Gully would be able to fit into the small hallways leading up to it.

While he pondered this, gully tapped his wrist, no, tapped, his glove, and pointed up.

"Oh right, duh. Why wasn't that the first thing I thought of."

He pointed his grappling hooks up at the side of the wall and fired. The hook sank into the stone, and he clenched his fist, lifting himself upwards. Once he reached the hook-on point, he aimed his other hand and repeated until he finally reached the top. He ducked inside the tower just as a Guardian flyer passed by. He signaled for Gully to wait where he was and entered the room.

It was definitely a study alright. Books and cabinets lay spewed about the room. Papers fluttered in the breeze, all with notes on them. He picked up on off the ground to look, and saw it was a bunch of scribbles about Guardians and their functionalities. On the ground near the corner of the room, sprouting out of the dirt, was a blue flower. Mo had never seen such a beautiful plant and went to investigate it. While he was, he heard a voice from behind him.

"It's a Silent Princess." The voice said. It was a woman's voice, and it sounded familiar. It was the same voice from the dream! But that had to be impossible. There was no one here a moment ago. He had been alone, and he would have heard someone come in. He turned to see a girl sitting on a stool on the other side of the room. She had long blonde hair and wore a white dress and golden bracelets. She looked dirty, and the expression on her face was an exhausted, sad on.

"You… I know you." Mo stuttered, backing away.

"And I know you. Although not in the way you might think. My name is Zelda, and I was the princess of Hyrule."

Mo regained his composure. Zelda. The name brought a swell of anger and rage. All those lives lost, and the person responsible for it was right in front of him. This was his moment. His once chance to set things right.

He drew his sword, and let out a loud scream, and charged.

 **End of Chapter 14**


	16. Chapter 15 - Revelations

Mo swung his sword down in an arc, read to slice the traitorous princess in half. But where his blade should have sliced through her, it instead passed harmlessly through. Confused, Mo swung again, but with the same outcome. He swung over and over, blinded by rage, trying to kill her. But he couldn't. Eventually he tired and fell to his knees, panting and defeated.

"Your sword wont work on me. Nor will your first, or any other weapon you might have at your disposal. Those weapons can only effect a physical body, which sadly, I am not." Zelda said softly, not moving from her spot on the stool. "I know you who are Monari, and I know what you think of me."

"How could you? Your own country. You were supposed to be the one to protect us. To stop evil from taking this land. You and the entire royal family. But instead you turned against us. Everyone who's died, that's on you. Tell me where your real body is so I can kill you!" Mo shouted, tears of anger welling in his eyes.

"You're right. It was our job to protect our people. And in that regard, I failed you. I wasn't strong enough. And now my kingdom has fallen. And people like you have been left to live in the ruins. I am truly sorry for everything that has happened. But I can promise you one thing. I did not bring about this monster."

"Horse shit!" Mo screamed. You killed everyone in the castle and the town. You let the guardians loose! You got your own knight killed! You did this!"

"I did not!" Zelda shouted, standing up. Her image flickered, and the air around Mo became dry and he could feel sparks in the air. But it soon faded, and things returned to normal. Zelda sat back down. "I'm sorry. I lost my temper. Please forgive me. But I did not do any of that. My beloved knight, fell trying to protect me. You were there that night, at Fort Hateno. You fled with Purah just before we arrived. I swear to you Monari it is the truth. And if you will let me, I promised you the whole truth when you arrived. Will you allow me to tell it to you?"

Mo thought for a moment. The moment the princess lost her cool, the air around him became dangerously charged. He wasn't sure what sort of magic she was using, but he wasn't able to harm her, while she could easily harm him. He decided it was better to let her say what she wanted to say and figure out an escape route afterwards.

"Thank you." Zelda replied following a sharp nod from Mo. "Now, the Calamity is known by another name by the royal family. The entity was once a physical being. A Gerudo male named Ganondorf. Over time he was defeated again and again, each time losing a part of himself, until he became nothing more then a beast hell bent on destruction, with limited signs of intelligence. 10,000 years ago, he was sealed away by the princess at the time, along with her hero. The beasts power was too much to actually kill, but with the help of the Sheikah, they were able to seal him within a giant dome made of Sheikah technology. The castle, which at the time stood in a different location, was rebuilt on top of that dome, and the former sealing grounds of Ganon rests beneath us. This is why when Ganon was released, he appeared to come from inside the Castle itself."

"A lot of people think it was because it was you who summoned him. That's why he came from the castle." Mo said, thinking intently. "But how was he released. It he was sealed for 10,000 years, why now suddenly has be broken free?"

"He did not break free. He was released." Zelda lamented.

"By who?" Mo pressured, eager for more information.

"By the Sheikah. Or I guess now they call themselves the Yiga. Long ago, a branch of Sheikah chose to split off from the royal family. My ancestors feared their technology, and gave them the choice to be banished, or to get rid of the technology that had once saved us. It was a great betrayal on the royal family's part, and the Yiga never forgot. Somehow, the Yiga infiltrated the Sheikah loyalists ranks, and plotted in secret to resurrect Ganon. They… originally tried to use my mother's life force to release him, believing her to be the wielder of a great sealing power used to stop him in the first place. They killed her, but their plan failed. She didn't possess that power. I did. It lay dormant inside me, until the day I was pushed to absolute desperation to save my appointed knight. That day in Necluda, at Fort Hateno was the day I awoke my powers. And it is one of the reasons Hateno remained untouched."

"You… saved my home?" Mo questioned.

"It was not my intentions in the moment. I was only focused on saving my knights life. But yes, that was a noticeable side effect. The Yiga must have found another way to resurrect Ganon. On the day of my 17th birthday, I visited the Lanayru Spring. When I, my knight, and the Champions were farthest from the castle, the Yiga struck, killing the residents of the castle and town simultaneously with Calamity Ganons power. I returned to the castle to stop him, but I was only able to contain him within the castle. The Yiga retuned and are doing what they can to return Ganon to the form he once took long ago. They are using their resurrection technology, which is the same technology Purah and Robbie used for my knight and are using it to revive and outfit Ganon with weapons, making him unstoppable."

"How do you know all this? If you're innocent like you say, it would be impossible for you to have know all this was happening."

"It is because I am sealed within the same resurrection chamber as Ganon. I have seen into the beast's mind, and the minds of his caretakers. That is were my physical body is located. And this is why Ganon has not yet returned to normal. I'm in there with him, blocking the Yigas efforts to complete their mission. And I must continue to do so until my champion, Link, awakens from his slumber to combat Ganon."

"So why did you call me here then? You seemed to have this all planned out. So why bother with someone like me?" Mo asked. He was getting tired of asking questions, and he still hadn't thought of an escape plan.

"Because I need your help. And without it, I fear everything will have been in vain, and Ganon shall return to wreak vengeance upon the remaining survivors of Hyrule." Zelda sighed, exhausted.

"Help with what?"

"My power over him is strong, but even now it begins to fade. My sealing abilities are stretched too thin. Deep below Hyrule Castle lays the entrance to the five pillars surrounding the castle. I'm sure you saw them when you came here." Mo nodded, and the princess continued. "Ganon has corrupted those guardians as well. Hundreds of them are stored in the pillars, and Ganon has been trying to set them loose upon the world since his return. I have been preventing this. But I can only keep both Ganon AND the Guardians contained at once. If one of them is not taken care of, they will both be unleashed, and the kingdom will cease to exist. Since only the chosen hero and the sword that seals the darkness can defeat Ganon, the only option is the eliminate the Guardians so that I may focus my full attention on Ganon himself."

"So, you want me to destroy the Guardians, is that right?" Mo pondered, stroking his chin. "Why me? Why not Robbie, or Purah, or anyone else out there?"

Zelda stood up and walked to the window, looking out towards the south east, sighing.

"Because I have seen your abilities. I have seen the destruction of Zora's Domain, and I have seen the destruction of the Citadel in Akkala. I felt the loss of life even from here. And at the center of both events, was you. I originally thought you were linked to the terrorist group known as the New Champions, the disgusting mockery of my old friends. But then I looked into your mind and heart. I saw your bravery and your true intentions. Your desire for knowledge and freedom. You saved the king of the Zora and eliminated the monsters from the Citadel. I knew your skills would allow you to fulfil the task I have presented to you."

Mo was dumbstruck. He had no idea how to feel. Could he really believe anything this woman told him? She could be making it all up. But then again, what if she wasn't? She had no reason to lie to him. And if what she said was true, and there were hundreds of Guardians located beneath the castle, if he left and did nothing, they could be unleashed. And then he would be just as guilty as Ganon for the loss of life that would follow.

Zelda sensed his hesitation and approached him, holding out her arm.

"You don't believe me fully. That's okay. Whether you believe me about Ganon or not, there's something I wish to show you."

She reached out her hand and touched Mo on the forehead. Instantly it was like he had been thrown a thousand miles. His head was reeling, and images flashed before his eyes. He was in castle town. But it wasn't destroyed. Not yet anyway. Despite knowing this was just a vision, he could feel the violent shaking as he looked up at the castle, and the monster that emerged from within. He saw balls of purple fire crash into the houses and buildings surrounding him. The people around him were stunned momentarily, but then understanding set in, and chaos ensued.

His vision flashed, and he was suddenly several places at once. He could see several bodies scattered across the streets. Blood ran through the gutters and screams could be heard all around him. Another flash, and he could see several soldiers trying to hold off some Guardians, only to be blasted to bits.

FLASH!

A group of Hylians huddled together inside a giant cathedral, praying to Hylia to save them. Their prayers were cut short when the front door was blasted in, and a guardian shoved its head inside, taking aim at the frightened disciples.

FLASH!

A mother was comforting her daughter as looters raided her store, trying to gather as many supplies as they could as they escaped town.

FLASH!

Several civilians on horseback riding through the town gates, scattering in all directions, looking back to see the entirety of the town engulfed in flames.

FLASH!

FLASH!

FLASH!

FLASH!

Finally, Mo was returned to his body back in the study. His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the floor, puking violently. What in Hylias name just happened?

"I… I felt it. I felt their pain. Their fear. As real as if it was my own. What was that?" Mo gasped.

"That was the day the Calamity struck. The day Hyrule fell. I feel that pain every minute of everyday while I'm stuck here with him. You've felt their pain and fear. Your loved ones back home will experience it too, if those Guardians are allowed to let loose upon the world. I showed you what happened, so that you understand why I'm asking for your help. Imagine Purah, Sophie, your parents, and everyone you hold most dear, to experience what you just saw. Is that what you want?" Zelda asked, looking down at him.

"N… no." Mo panted, wiping the vomit from his face.

"Good. I need your help Monari. All Hyrule needs your help. Will you rise to the challenge?"

Mo stood up, almost falling again. But he propped himself against the wall and nodded.

"Yes. Ill help. Just… tell me what I need to do. Exactly."

Zelda smiled. It was a strained, tired smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"Below the castle, the Royal Excavation Team discovered the entrance to the five pillars housing the Guardians. They are still there, where they have sat for 10,000 years. Go there and destroy them by any means necessary. I will not be able to assist you, as I must keep Ganon from activating them. Once he realizes you are here and what you are doing, he will try to use his full strength to set them loose. Act quickly, and destroy this threat, so that you may finally return home. Do you understand?"

"I understand" Mo said confidently, finding his feet again. "I'll find 'em, and ill destroy 'em."

"Thank you Monari. Take Gully. He is sure to be of assistance to you. Good luck."

And with that, her apparition disappeared in a shower of golden dust, and Mo was left alone in the room. He wasted no time. With the memories of those visions still burning in his brain, he repelled down to Gully, landing on his head.

"Come on bud, we've got work to do."

 **End of Chapter 15**


	17. Chapter 16 - The Five Pillars

Mo and Gully headed towards the nearest entrance shown to him on his Sheikah Slate. For some reason, his map page displayed a setting that allowed him to view the entirety of the castle in a 3D model. He could see every room, zoom in on his location, and scout ahead so he wouldn't get lost. After speaking with Zelda, he felt as though he had no choice but to help her. The things he had seen shook him to the core, and he never wanted to feel what he felt in those few seconds ever again. Mo hid underneath Gully as they passed by a couple Guardian sentries, and then they came to their first problem.

The entrance to the castle they were near wasn't big enough for Gully to fit through, so he wouldn't be able to accompany Mo inside. He would have to go on alone. The thought of this made Mo squeamish. He had become so use to Gully being there to protect him. Would he be able to make it down to the base of the pillars without him?

"Well bud, looks like ill have to go on from here by myself. Wait here for me to come back and keep scanning the area for any signs of movement or noise. I might have to end up escaping out a separate way."

Gully beeped sadly, but gave him the thumbs up, meaning he understood his instructions. With that, Mo entered the castle. Red carpet ran down the long hallway he was at, and his map showed he was coming to a fork in the hallway. He used the map to plan out his course. There didn't appear to be any enemies in the castle. Everyone who had tried to enter must have been stopped at the entrance by the Guardians, so there was no use for an interior guard unit. This brought Mo a bit of comfort as he made his way deeper into the bowels of the castle.

He passed by a large dining room, with several courses still at the table, as if they had been feasting when they were suddenly attacked. Skeletons still sat at in the chairs, the remains of those who never got to finish their meal. He ignored it and headed further down. He walked down a long hallway with several statues depicting great knights and warriors. He passed by one that held a sword and to his surprise, the weapon seemed to be clean and in proper order. He looked around to make sure the other ones weren't just stone too. They were, so he wasn't sure why this one weapon was real. He was unusually sharp, with a golden handle shaped in a wing pattern. He figured it would help do more damage to any enemies then his small short sword, so he picked it up out of the statues hands and brought it with him.

He turned the corner to find a gruesome scene. Along the length of the hallway were several bodies strewn about. Many wore knights armor, with shields and swords in their hands bearing the mark of Hylia. He recognized the outfit all too well, as his father was a military man. However, there supposed opponents weren't wearing anything he recognized. They donned red and grey body suits, with ponytails sticking straight up. They were all skeletons, but some carried large engraved swords, while some of them held sickles and bows. One common trait among them was the masks they wore. It looked just like the symbol Purah had displayed in her lab. The symbol of the Sheikah clan. However, this one was upside down, and red.

He had never seen such a symbol or uniform. They must have attacked before the Calamity struck, but were all wiped out once it arrived, regardless of their allegiance. He moved on and descended even lower. He could tell he was making substantial progress because the details and decorations were getting less and less extravagant. The stone bricks were beginning to make way to natural stone, and the carpet on the floor disappeared in favor of plain wooden stairs. Finally, he reached the bottom of the long spiraling staircase, and found what he was looking for.

A door displayed itself in front of him. Although it wasn't like any door he had ever seen before. It was made up of several horizontal bars with Sheikah text engraved in the side. Mo held up his camera and scanned the texts, and the slate translated for him.

"Guardian Restoration and Storage Chamber huh?" Mo whispered to himself. "Seems like I found the right place. Huh? What's this?" he knelt down and picked up a small paper from the clutches of a rotting skeleton. Whoever this person was, they seemed to be some sort of scientist. The claw marks on the door indicated he had been trying to enter the door when he was slain. Why didn't he just go in?

Mo uncrumpled the note and read it.

The door to the Guardian Storage Chamber refused to open. We have made every attempt to open it, even resorting to explosives, but to no avail. I can hear rumbling up ahead. I can hear the screams. Its here. The Yiga succeeded. The Calamity is upon us and were defenseless. I need to get in to activate the Guardians and help stop it. But I can't. No one has been able to crack the code to the pedestal. If someone finds this, I hope your attempts to enter prove luckier then mine. I can hear footsteps coming down the staircase. It must be the Yiga soldiers. This will be my last note. I hope whoever finds this doesn't meet the same fate as me. Good luck, and goodbye.

Signed – Dantz, Head of the Guardian Research Division

The last part smudged away, and Mo could only assume he tried to finish his letter even to the bitter end. He looked at the smudge marks on the walls from where they tried to blow the door open, and his gaze wandered down to the pedestal just t the side of the door. It had a glowing Sheikah symbol on it, and Mo took out his slate. On a whim he placed it overtop the symbol. Hoping to activate it somehow. But when he tried, an error message popped up on the screen.

"What the heck? What do you mean wrong format?" Mo asked the slate, of course not receiving an answer. Then he looked below it, and a small metallic opening was present. The same one Gully had. Then it clocked. He inserted the slate into the metallic port, and to his joy, the terminal lit up blue.

"Access granted, nice."

The door opened, with every other horizontal bar swinging to one side, revealing another corridor. However, this one was different. The was slick and dark, without a single crack. Blue lights lined the hallway, leading the way. Without any other choice, he followed the corridor and after several winding turns, he came to his first opening. His slate showed he was deep underneath Hyrule Castle now. But despite being so far underground, the chamber he found himself in was massive. At least five stories high, and to his horror, rows and rows of Guardians lined the rim of the room, on every floor. There had to be at least 100 Guardians in this one room alone! He had to gulp down his fear and remind himself that these weren't Gully. If these ones woke up, they wouldn't hesitate to kill him.

He continued to examine to room, and there were only two things to notice. One was a small platform in the middle of the room, with two long poles on either side, heading all the way up to the ceiling. His slate confirmed that it was some type of elevator. The platform lifted using Sheikah technology, with the poles acting as guides for the platform. In addition to the lift, there were five exits to the room, not including the one he just came through.

"Five pillars, five exits. Makes sense."

Mo decided first to check out the elevator first. He stepped on it, and it immediately started rising. He looked up to see where the hole was that he would be going through. But to his shock he couldn't see one. He tried to jump off, but he was already too high! He was going to mash into the ceiling and be crushed! He was going to-!"

Just before he reached the ceiling, a door slide upon, giving him an opening to pass through. He breathed a sigh of relief and after catching his breath from almost having a panic attack, he looked around. He was in yet another large room. But this one was different. There were no Guardians, or any other kinds of tech. it was completely empty. The ceiling was shaped like a giant dome and glowed an eerie purple color. His map indicated he was just below the throne room. Along the walls, there were several enormous claw marks, and Mo could only imagine what caused them. The it occurred to him. The Calamity.

Everyone had said it originated from inside Hyrule Castle. Maybe this was where. But why would the greatest evil to curse the land be stored underneath the castle itself? He didn't have time to ponder, as the platform he was still standing on began to descend. With nothing actually in the room, he decided to stay on and head back down. This room gave him the creeps, although he had a strange feeling the room would be important later on.

Upon reaching the bottom again, he headed to one of the five exits. He entered the room, and the ceiling extended way higher then the previous one. It was also much narrower. But that didn't stop the amount of Guardians from scaring the crap out of him. In this one pillar alone, there were at least a thousand. Which meant there were this many in all the other pillars too! The thought made his stomach drop How the heck was he supposed to destroy them all?

The guardians around him shook, causing Mo to jump. They glowed and intense purple color, and Mo could only surmise it was the Calamity trying to activate them to attack him. But then the glowing subsided, and he could hear a voice coming form inside his own head.

"Hurry Monari! He has sensed your presence here and is calling his legions of evil to the castle. I'm holding him back the best I can, but I can only do so much. I will do what I can to prevent the Guardians from awakening and keep the monsters out for as long as I can, but you must hurry!"

Zelda. Even after he tried to kill her, she was protecting him. He felt like a major jerk, and if he made it out of this alive, he was going to do whatever he could to make up for it. But that still didn't answer his problem.

"Mo!"

Zelda's voice rang in his head. She sounded urgent.

"What is it?"

"I feel another presence in this chamber with you. Be cautious!"

Mo panicked a bit. Who else could be here? Who else knew about this place other then him? It couldn't be a monster. Zelda said she was keeping them from entering.

"Well well. Turns out you were useful after all." A gruff voice came from behind him. Tanke the goron stood at the doorway, blocking his way out. His mohawk was freshly cut and he held a massive Warhammer in his hands.

"Tanke… What… how did you get here?" Mo asked, he voice shaking.

"Simple. I dug my way in here. I have a mission here too. I thought it was going to be a failure when I hit a wall made from some sort of slick Sheikah material. But then I found the doorway and saw it was already opened. No doubt thanks to you."

"Tanke you don't understand. I know where not on good terms, but this is way beyond that. We have to-"

"Destroy the Guardians" Tanke finished for him. "I know. That's why I'm here too.

"Wait… really?" Mo cocked an eyebrow.

"Our goal is to rule our tribes the way they should've been run long ago. To fix the mistakes our chiefs and leaders made. We can't do that if Hyrule us decimated by these Guardians."

"How did you find out about this place?"

"We have a lot of information most people don't know about. Don't worry about how we got it." Tanke approached Mo and picked him up by his collar. "Listen here you little turd. I'm gonna kill you later. But right now, our interests align. You're gonna work with me to destroy these things once and for all. Got it?"

Mo nodded his head the best he could with Tankes massive hand in his face.

"Good. Now let's get going. I have a plan. And you're gonna help me carry it out." He said, letting go of Mos collar

"How are we gonna destroy so many of these things? I couldn't find a proper armory or any explosives." Mo asked.

"Kid, I'm a goron. We specialize in powder kegs and explosives. I have the supplies. You're gonna help me get them into position. Ow shut your mouth and let's go before I hammer you into the ground like a nail.

Mo didn't argue. He followed close behind the lumbering goron, knowing full well he would have to take care if him later. But for right now, if this was the way to help fulfil Zelda's request, then this is what he was gonna do. So, he followed his enemy turned friend out of the Sheikah Laboratory and up a goron made tunnel up to the surface.

"Let's do this."

 **End of Chapter 16**


	18. Chapter 17 - The Flames of Sacrifice

Mo anxiously followed Tanke out of the Guardian chamber and up a long, Goron made tunnel leading up to the surface. When they resurfaced, they were on the other side of the moat on the eastern side of the castle.

"You have no idea how much work it took to dig that damn tunnel under the moat. I've never worked so hard in my entire life." Tanke yawned, stretching and flexing his arms. Mo just followed behind silently. Tanke might be an ally at the moment, but any second that could change, and he needed to be ready. He hoped Gully was okay. He had been alone for a while, and while Mo could find his location on the map on his slate, he didn't want to reveal to Tanke he still had it.

"So… uh. What's the plan for taking down those guardians?" Mo asked nervously.

"Well, were going to be recreating your little stunt you pulled at the Citadel, only on a much grander scale."

"How did you-"

"Know you took down that pile of rubble? We could feel the explosion even from our hideout, and we could see the smoke from miles away." Tanke interrupted. "I'll give credit where credit is due, that was definitely impressive. But nowhere near as impressive as what I've got in store for this place. Check it out."

Up ahead of the two, were several giant barrels, each marked with a flame symbol and a skull. Mo looked around, and he could tell they were in Hyrule Forest Park. He remembered his mother taking him here, ages ago, when he was still just a small boy. It looked so different now. The grass was brown and flattened. The trees were barely holding on to life, and to Mos direct left, stood one of the five Sheikah Pillars. It looked even more massive from the outside, and Mo wondered how these barrels were going to help.

"So, how's this going to work?" Those pillars are massive, and these barrels… well, aren't." Mo noted.

"Pfft, typical Hylian. Always taking things at face value. These aren't just barrels. These are premium, Goron made powder kegs. The blast force from one of these babies would be enough to level an entire village, leaving nothing but a crater. You have no idea how long it took me to transport these here without blowing myself up." Tanke boasted.

"So, were going to set up one of these barrels in each pillar and set off a chain reaction of Guardian cores?" Mo asked, perking up.

"Exactly. The only downside of this is one of us will have to stay below to light the kegs on fire. And by one of us, I mean you."

"Wait a second why me!?" Mo shouted, before being picked up by the throat.

"Because if you don't, ill just kill you right here and now. Ill crush your throat and leave you to suffocate." Tanke growled, holding him up just a bit longer before dropping a gasping, stuttering Mo to the ground.

"You make a solid point. Ill do it." Mo squeaked, rubbing his throat. "Wed better get started."

Mos nerves were going insane as he slowly pushed his powder keg down the bumpy tunnel. Each time he hit a rock or bump, he winced and closed his eyes, ready to be blown to pieces. But he wasn't. And so, he continued. Once they reached the central chamber, the two each went towards a different exit and set up their powder kegs.

The idea was to set them close enough to blast through the guardian's armor and detonate the cores within, but not so close that the blast only reached a couple. They needed to be as efficient as possible. And while the blasts were going to be huge according to Tanke, they still wanted to make sure. Mo rolled his to his immediate right and set up his keg about 20 meters from the nearest row of guardians.

They repeated the process twice more, with the last time only Mo rolling the kegs, while Tanke stayed below to work on the fuse. His plan was to connect them all to one point, light it, and let the cord split into five, heading to each keg. That way all of them would go off and the person down below wouldn't get blasted to bits. Mo doubted that Tanke cared all that much about Mos safety. It was more for the fact that he didn't want Mo to get killed before he lit off every single fuse. The risk of failure was minimized that way.

Mo finally made it down the tunnel after yet another painstakingly slow roll. Tanke was finishing up with the fuse and Mo took his keg into the last pillar. Once he was done, he returned to the center room, and Tanke attached the last fuse and things were set.

"Alright, now's the moment of truth. You know the deal Hylian. I'm going to head out up that tunnel now. Wait about five minutes and then light that fuse. Make sure the fuse splits and all five individual ones are lit and on their way to the kegs." Tanke instructed.

Mo rolled his eyes but nodded at the Goron. Tanke began to roll towards the exit, when Mo had a gut-wrenching feeling. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and he instinctively dove out of the way just as a Guardian blast soared past him. He ruined around expecting to somehow see Gully, but instead, all around him, the Guardians were beginning to turn on. A bright, eerie purple light emitted from there insides. One by one, they began their start up sequence, and looked around for targets. And one by one, their targeting systems zeroed on Tanke and Mo.

"Monari, I'm sorry. Ganon has sensed the trouble stirring here. He has focused all his power here. I tried to keep him out, but he was too much. You must hurry before its too late!" Zelda's voice could be heard inside Mo's head.

"Dammit, Tanke we need to hurry up and-" Mos sentence was cut short when he turned to face the Goron only to be met with a punch to the gut, sending him flying across the room and knocking his breath away.

"This is where we part ways Hylian. I told you I was going to kill you. The Guardians are awake now, so it's now or never. I can still light the fuse and make it out alive. But you? This chamber will be your grave, and your body will be turned to ashes just like these Guardians."

Tanke walked up to Mo, paying no attention to the Guardians coming to life. Some were spouting legs and beginning to patrol the room. It would only be a matter of time before they made their way down to the main level where Mo lay sprawled on his back.

"Ill be taking that now." Tanke said, reaching inside Mos satchel and pulling out the Sheikah Slate. "This will prove handy in our next mission. I didn't want you to know I knew you had it. That way you couldn't try to skip out on me. I almost wish you could see the success of our next mission, but unfortunately, that's not going to happen."

"No! Give it back, you cant-" Mo began to shout, before Tanke unhooked the massive Warhammer from his back and swung it down. Mo rolled out of the way, barely missing the meatgrinder-like surface coming down at him at full force. The impact cracked the ground next to him. Mo tried to stand up and run, but he fell down in pain, grabbing his chest. Some of his ribs must be broken from the initial hit.

Mo gritted his teeth, bracing himself for the incredible pain as he rolled out of the way once more. The force of Tankes hit made him bounce off the ground slightly, and he knew he had to do something. Thinking quickly, he raised his hand and took aim at Tankes head, just as Tanke himself was raising his hammer for his finishing blow. But just before he could swing down, Mo made a fist, and the grapple from his left glove shot forward, piercing Tankes cheek, and catching in his jaw.

"What the!" Tanke shouted, dropping his hammer and falling to his knees in pain. Mo retracted the cord, disconnecting from Tankes jaw, and using this time to escape, when suddenly Tanke reached out and grabbed the now bloody cord. He pulled hard, pulling Mo off the ground, and swinging him into the nearest wall.

"Forget this.!" Tanke shouted, lighting a match and setting the fuse ablaze. Mo struggled to make it to the door, but Tanke got their first, kicking Mo in the chest, doubling down on the pain he was dishing out, all the while making sure to protect his face from another one of Mos attacks.

"Later, Hylian." He sneered, going through the doorway, and shutting it behind him. Mo scrambled as fast as he could to the closing horizontal planks, but he was too slow. The door was already shut, and Mo slammed his hands against it fruitlessly.

He began to panic. The reality was beginning to set it. He was stuck in this chamber, with thousands of Guardians now beginning to come to life, five lit powder kegs that were going to go off on a matter of minutes, and no way out. Then he heard Zelda's voice again.

"Make your way upwards. Reach the laboratory just above you. Then keep going. There is a small opening at the top of the lab for you to slip through. That is where my physical form is located. Make it there and I will be able to assist you! Hurry!"

Mo wasted no time struggling to his feet and limping over to the lift. But when he got there he could see that during the skirmish, Tanke had destroyed one of the guidance poles, leaving the platform useless on the ground.

"Dammit! How am I going to get up there?" he asked himself, looking for options. He noticed the platforms the Guardians were stored on were level with each other and decided to use those as grapple points. He would just have to suck up the pain of his broken ribs and head up the best he could. He took aim at the platform on the lowest level, and hooks onto the edge. He retracted the cord, pulling himself up.

The pain, of course, was excruciating, and Mo thought he was going to pass out. But luckily, he stayed conscious and continued his way up to the ceiling where he knew there was an opening. He did this all while dodging incoming Guardian blasts. As first he tried to maneuver himself so that the blasts would miss him and destroy the Guardians behind him that were still activating. But eventually the pain became too much, and he opted for just getting up as fast as possible.

Finally, he made it to the top platform, launching a hook into the nearest Guardians targeting eye, blinding it. Taking hit time, he closed one eye and aimed for the spot closest to the place he knew the motion activated door was and fired. His luck held, and his grapple hooked itself into the smooth surface of the ceiling. He looked down, nervous. Would the hook hold? Or would he make the jump and come undone, and fall to his death?"

A walker Guardian approached him from behind, finally having made it up to the top. It took aim, and Mo knew what his option was. Gritting his teeth, he took the leap of faith. At first, he began to plummet, and he feared the worst. Then he began to retract the cord and his body came to a sudden stop. Searing pain swept through his chest and the already broken ribs cracked even more. He ascended as fast as the cord would allow, barely avoiding blast after blast from the Guardians.

Beneath him, one of the powder kegs exploded. He could feel the blast force even from his current location, and he saw flames flow out of the northern most exit. The flames ignited the fuses that hadn't gotten as far, and now each keg was only seconds from blowing. Not only that, but the flames from just one of those explosions was rose high enough to burn his face. He finally reached the top with a reddened, stingy face, and just as he had hoped, the door to the lab slid open. He climbed through and rolled as far away as he could so that the door closed.

He looked up at the dome like ceiling above him and launched another cord. Mo could see light peaking through just at the center and headed for it. As he did, he felt four consecutive explosions happen on all sides of him. The rest of the kegs had ignited! He pulled himself up as fast as he could and reached the top. The hole was small, but he was able to quickly punch out some rubble to make it bigger. As he did so, the force of the explosion forced the door below him to open, and flames surged through, quickly rising and filling the chamber.

He leapt through the hole and found himself in some sort of throne room. He crawled away form the whole as the flames shot through. Fire circled all around him, burning the flags and banners off the walls. The heat was unbearable, and Mo felt as if he skin would melt off. Though the pain he heard a loud screeching yell. He looked around him to find the source, only to find that the noise was coming from him. Unable to handle to pain any longer he let out a death curling scream.

The was it. This was how he ended. At least he managed to fulfil the princesses request. He took solace in this as he began to lose conscious. His vision faded, and he lay limp on the throne room floor. Zelda said she would help him once he got here. Maybe she was lying. Or maybe something was keeping her from doing so. Either way, he wasn't expecting her help. His clothes were now on fire, now that the flames had completely filled the throne room and were no longer dispersed in a fire whirlwind.

Blisters formed and popped as quickly as they appeared, and his skin began to sizzle. His eyes and throat went dry and his vision disappeared entirely. Just before everything went black, he looked up at the ceiling and saw an enormous purple sack, pulsating and throbbing as fire consumed it. A pig's screech could e heard and as his vision faded he witnessed something he never thought hed see in a million lifetimes.

A massive, swirling beast with a body of smoke expelled itself from the atrocity that hung above him. Mo knew the moment he saw it, even if it was just for a split second, that this was the beast that brought Hyrule to ruin. The one responsible for everything that happened since THAT day. The Great Calamity, Ganon.

With his vision fully gone, and his skin burned away, Mo could only faintly hear the sounds of a hideous roar. He knew the Calamity was bearing down on him. Any minute now and it was all over. Maybe it was better this way. Death almost seemed like a welcome release.

"No!"

Mo knew the voice. But he couldn't place it. Maybe he was delirious now because of his situation and the pain. It was a woman's voice, and a name struggled to come to mind. He had known who it was only minutes before, but now his mind drew a blank. Oh well, it didn't matter. Not anymore. Even if someone had come to save him, they would meet the same fate he did. A face appeared in his mind.

A girl. A pretty girl, with dark skin and black hair. A scarf was wrapped around her neck and she was smiling at him. Behind her was a beautiful field of green. Who was she? He was sure he knew her. He had to. Was this a memory? Of sometime long ago? He felt a sadness that he would never experience anything like that again.

Soon, even that began to fade, and darkness consumed him. This was it. It was over.

Finally, he was at peace.

 **End of Chapter 17**


	19. Chapter 18 - A New Purpose

Mo opened his eyes. He could feel again. He was laying in a pool of water, with the sky above him. He blinked as the sunlight filled his vision. He took a deep breath and thought to himself. He was terribly confused. He sat up and looked around him. He wasn't laying in a pool. The water stretched as far as the eye could see. There were no buildings or land anywhere in sight. But the water was unusually shallow. He could faintly make out the sound of a harp being played.

He looked down to see he wasn't wearing any clothes. He would have been embarrassed but he had more pressing matters. Where was he? And how did he get here? He had quick flashed of memories appear in his head. Fire. A beast made of smoke. I could remember the feeling of burning alive. But if that were true, how was he here?

"It's because you're dead, silly." A voice said from behind him,

Mo quickly turned around and saw a woman standing before him. She was dressed in a white ceremonial gown, with a Triforce crest as her belt buckle. She had flowing blonde hair that reached her lower back and piercing blue eyes. She looked remarkably similar to Princess Zelda, but it clearly wasn't her. So, who was she?

"My name is Hylia. I know that's what you're wondering." The woman said.

"You… you can read my mind?" Mo stammered, approaching her slowly.

"Well, this is my realm, so I control everything here. I can read your thoughts and turn you into whatever form I wish. Your physical body is… less the pleasant to look at. So, I returned you to the form you took when you first set out on your journey." Hylia replied.

"Where uh, where am I?" What is this place?" Mo asked, confused.

"I just told you this is my realm." Hylia answer, slightly confused.

"I don't know what that means though. You said I'm dead. Is this like, the afterlife?"

"Hm, an afterlife of sorts. Normally, when you die, you're sent straight to Sacred Realm or the depths of Demise. But I wanted to talk to you first. You seemed interesting. Not exactly your average hero, you know?" Hylia giggled, still playing her harp.

"I'm not a hero. And I'm hardly interesting." Mo grumbled.

"Oh? You, who stopped a bad person from killing a king? Who freed an entire region of my precious Hyrule from the clutches of monsters? Who sacrificed his life to destroy an enormous threat to the entire world? You would still refuse to call yourself a hero?" Hylia asked.

"I didn't do any of those things. In the domain, all I did was panic. In the Citadel, Gully did all the work, and saved me. And in the castle… I didn't sacrifice myself. I wanted to escape. But I wasn't able to. I would have gone if I could. I didn't want to die."

"Well who does?" Hylia asked, approaching him now as well, slowly. "But you know what I saw? I saw a boy who was afraid, but still stood up against a group of people who previously thought to be his friends. I saw a boy do whatever it took to free an entire village and make the world a safer place. And now I see a man, who gave his life to fulfil the wishes of my reincarnation, who not even a day earlier you hated with every fiber of your being. Call yourself whatever you want, but id call that a hero. And I like talking to heroes. Its been 10,000 years since I last spoke to one as interesting as you."

"Fine whatever I'm a hero. But, this so weird. What do I do here?" Mo asked, perplexed. "Where is everything? Why is there only water?"

"I prefer it this way. The sound of my harp sounds beautiful in this environment. As for what you do here, you talk to me. For as long as I want. And-"

"But I can't stay here and talk to you!" Mo shouted, cutting the goddess off.

"I beg your pardon?" Hylia asked, looking surprised.

"Tanke, the Goron who attacked me. He took my Sheikah Slate! He said it would be important to his next mission. I have to stop them!"

"Ah, yes. That strange group of individuals. They're planning to open the Shrine of Resurrection and kill the one who slumbers. His name is Link. He was the hero before you. The princesses chosen champion." Hylia lamented.

"Then you understand why I can't stay here!" Mo pleaded.

"Well, you don't really have a choice I'm afraid. You're dead. Your body lies a smoking husk within the princesses' bedroom. She intervened and teleported you out of there just as the Calamity bore down on you. Even now she attempts to use her powers to save you. Look"

Hylia held up her hand and a vision appeared in front of Mo. He saw his body, twisted and deformed, missing its skin, laying in the princesses' bed. An apparition of Zelda was next to him, doing her best to heal him, but to no avail.

"Please, I need to go back." Mo asked, desperate.

"Why? Your friends are already on their way to Links resting place to stop them." Hylia commented, showing him another vision of Purah, Robbie, Chery, and Sophie all riding towards the Great Plateau.

"Please you have to let me help them. You need to send me back! You can do that can't you?" Mo asked falling to his knees.

"Hm, I suppose. But it wouldn't be pleasant for you. You would be in great physical pain. Only one has ever returned from this realm before. He gave his life over and over in a different land. And when he was done. He asked me to return him back to Hyrule. But he returned to a land where no one remembered him as a hero. He lived his life full of regret and when he was finally ready to die, he couldn't. He was bound to the mortal world, cursed to wander as a shade of his former self. His regret kept him trapped. The very same thing could happen to you." Hylia warned.

"I don't care about being remembered as a hero! I care about saving my friends!" Mo shouted angrily. "I don't care how much pain I'm in when I go back. It could be the most excruciating pain I've ever felt, worse than when I was being burned alive. It doesn't matter, as long as I'm there to help them! To see Sophie and the rest of them again!"

"Interesting…" Hylia whispered to herself. "you truly have no desire to go to the Sacred Realm? To live forever in bliss and peace? Nor to be known as a hero to your people?"

"No." Mo answered bluntly.

"Well then, Monari of Hateno Village, it seems I have not been entirely truthful with you." Hylia admitted. "Your physical body is not dead. Not yet anyway. I could have sent you straight to the Sacred Realm. You definitely deserved it. But I wanted to see if you were worth sending back. Zelda's attempts are more then enough to revive you, but sometimes those who perish are better off dead. Their heroics are a fluke. But it appears you're a bit different. You care about your friends more then anything. And it is because of that reason, and that reason alone, that I will grant you your wish to return to the mortal world."

'Really!?" Mo shouted, ecstatic.

"Yes. But before you go back, I sense there is something you wish to know. Its one of the main reasons you left your home in the first place. You left searching for answers. I will give the to you." Hylia said, now face to face with Mo. "You wish you know what caused the Calamity to break free don't you?"

Mo nodded. "Zelda told me, but I got the feeling she didn't tell me the whole story."

"When Zelda was a small girl, her mother was kidnapped and murdered in the secret laboratory below the throne room by the Yiga clan. The one you most adequately demolished. They believed that her mother possessed my divine gifts and planned to sacrifice her to bring back Ganon. Had they succeeded, Hyrule would be a barren wasteland. But they didn't know what my gifts lay instead with her daughter. When their attempts failed, the resorted to more crude means to free him. So, the Yiga crafted a new body for him. A sick, grotesque form for him to inhabit. The used an alternative method to call him forth from the dark world, an offshoot of the Sacred Realm. They are currently using the same resurrection technology used to save the champion Link. You saw this form before Zelda transported you out of the throne room"

"You saw the marks left by the beast in the remains of the laboratory. A side effect of the Yiga ritual before they were able to have him inhabit a new body. That pod is where his physical body rests as it attempts to fuse with his none physical form. The princess resides inside as well, keeping this process from being completed. I am telling you his because I know you asking her for further details will cause the princess much grief. She will never admit it but talking about her mother and her current situation is difficult for her. She already has so much pain to bear, adding to it would be unwise."

"I understand" Mo said solemnly.

"Good, are you ready to return? I feel you getting impatient." Hylia smiled.

Again, Mo nodded.

"She reached out and touched his forehead with her finger "On more thing. The scarf you carried with you, it burned up in the fire. However, I know it was a very sentimental gift, so as a token of my gratitude for everything you've done for my beautiful land, I shall repair it for you. It will be waiting for you when you wake up."

"Thank you, But… what about the rest of my clothes? They all must have burned away too."

"I believe the princess has something in mind for you when you return. We best not keep her waiting any longer. The more power she used to heal you the less power she has to keep Ganon sealed away. Goodbye Monari. It was nice talking to you. Good luck… hero"

Mos eyes shot open and he gasped a huge breath. Zelda's apparition flickered with surprise.

"Monari, your… your skin. Your body. Its healed. I did my best to being you back but… this was not my doing."

"Yeah, it's a weird situation." Mo chuckled. His laugh gave way to a fit of coughing.

"Easy. Your body took a serious toll earlier. Please, rest. You're safe now." Zelda said.

Mo looked over to the desk to his side. Just as Hylia had promised, there was Sophie's scarf, properly folded and ready to be worn once more. He smiled, sitting up.

"No time to rest your highness. There's one more mission I have to complete. Tanke, he took the Sheikah Slate. I know what he plans to do with it and I need to stop him."

"What does he plan to do?" Zelda asked. Mo remembered about what Hylia said about Zelda not needing to bear anymore pain and for her to stay focused.

"Don't worry about it princess. Focus your strength where it counts. Let me handle the terrorists." Mo said, feeling confident for the first time in a long time.

"As you wish. Before you go, it appears that your clothing burned away in the fire. You can't very well fight without clothes. Luckily, I think I have the perfect alternative. Please head to my wardrobe, just there." Zelda said. Her image flickered to a worn down wooden wardrobe across the room. Mo stood and walked to it, opening it with care. Inside was a blue tunic, with tan pants, boots, and white symbols and markings.

"Before the Calamity struck, we of the royal family searched for those who would be our champions. To defend us in our time of need. We were unsure which region our Hylian champion would come from, so we were prepared and made several tunics, one to represent each region of Hyrule. You are from the Necluda region, so I believe this one will work perfectly."

Mo reached and took the tunic out of the closet. Sewn into the front of the bright blue tunic was the symbol of Necluda. A white heart. He put it on as carefully as possible and was shocked to find it fit him remarkably well.

"That color was meant to be worn only by those chosen to be Hyrule's champions. Those who had close ties to the royal family. Considering your acts of bravery, I believe you are more then qualified to bare those colors." Zelda said proudly, smiling for the first time. "I must go now Monari. Thank you. For everything you have done. Ill return you to your Guardian down below. Do what must be done. Always remember that no matter what happens, you are a true hero. And a true champion of Hyrule."

She waved her arm and Mo was suddenly back down on the ground. He looked up at her tower, wondering if she was still inside or if she had flickered out of existence and returned to her physical body. Beside him, Gully jumped up upon noticing Mo suddenly next to him. He beeped happy, picking Mo up and throwing him in the air.

"Easy bud, easy!" Mo laughed, petting Gully on the head. "This has been one hell of an adventure. But there's one more thing we have to do before we go home. You up for it?" MO asked, already knowing the answer as Gully beeped and whirled determinedly.

"Perfect. Lest go. Were headed to the Great Plateau."

 **End of Chapter 18**


	20. Chapter 19 - The Great Plateau

"Thanks for coming on such short notice." Purah said after embracing Robbie. "Glad to finally have you around again." She smiled.

"Always good to be back. And besides, this is urgent business" Robbie replied, smiling back. "How do we know the chamber is going to be attacked?"

"Sophie here picked up an automatic distress beacon coming from the plateau which means someone is tampering with the doorway. We need to get there before they manage to get it open. By the way I was wondering, how did you get here so fast?" Purah asked.

"The horses in Akkala are well bred. Cherry here made sure of that awhile ago. Shell be here soon she told me to go ahead and meet up with you. Shell be here in a bit. We need to go ahead and make out way to the chamber and be ready for whatever were about o face. I'm sure it won't be friendly."

They mounted their horses and were about to head out, when they heard a shout from behind them.

"Hey wait for me!!" They both turned to see Sophie riding up to them on her horse. Her hair was tied back, and a bow was slung over her shoulder.

"Where do you think you're going" Purah asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What do you mean? I'm coming with you of course!" Sophie replied exasperated. "What else would I be doing?"

"Staying here, safe. Keeping this place on lock down. Its too dangerous for you to come with us. We don't know what well find there." Purah said rather harshly, but Sophie didn't back down.

"All the more reason for me to come with you. Besides I'm a good shot. I wouldn't have to be near the fighting if that's what you're worried about. I could cover you guys from a distance. I'm coming with you, and there isn't really anything you can do to stop me. Believe it or not I'm a grown woman and I'm able to do what I want."

"C'mon Purah let the girl come. She's got spunk." Robbie laughed. Purah just grumbled in response. Robbie gave a slight nod to Sophie and she smiled in return, and the three of them set out of Hateno Village and headed for the Great Plateau.

The trio were passing in between the Twin Peaks when they spoke again.

"Did you hear what was happening at the castle?" Robbie asked as they trotted by the river separating the two peaks.

"No but we felt it. It felt like an earth quake but when I climbed the nearest peak, I could see smoke way off in the distance. Based on what Sophie told me, that must have been Mo's doing." Purah replied. "I hope he's okay"

"I don't know about that. If that was an explosion and we felt it all the way over here, there's very little chance that anything close to there surviv-"

"AHEM!" Purah coughed obnoxiously, cutting Robbie off and nudging her head back at Sophie who looked like she was about to vomit.

"I mean… uh, yeah no I think he's okay. He's a smart kid and seems to have a knack for pyrotechnics. The guy took down the whole citadel, so I'm sure the castle was easy work for him. The princess wouldn't have asked for his help if she didn't think he was capable."

"Huh?" Sophie and Purah both asked at once. "What do you mean the princess asked for his help?" Sophie finished.

"He didn't tell you? After Mo heroically took down the Citadel, the princess called out too him in a dream asking for help. He left for the castle and I'm guessing that giant explosion was the fruit of his efforts. It makes sense that he would reenact the same thing he did at the Citadel. So, I can only assume he was successful and is making his way back now. Right Purah?" Robbie stated.

"Of course. The dark swirls around the castle of disappeared as well, so that must mean he was victorious! And no doubt hell be heading to the Plateau as well, under the princess's orders."

"Wow, I never would have imagined Princess Zelda would be alive after all this time. That's incredible. And I know Mo will be okay. I hope…" Sophie said with stars in her eyes. Robbie and Purah just smiled and continued riding. Eventually, Cherry caught up to them carrying a huge pack, and Robbie filled her in on the situation.

They rode for a day and resumed the next morning and reached the Great Plateau around noon.

"We should probably park the horses here. We don't know what's waiting for us on the Plateau." Cherry suggested. The others agreed, and they tied their steeds to some trees just away from the walls of the Plateau and approached the main entrance. They walked up the enormous flights of stairs and cresting the top, Sophie could see the Temple of Time come into view. She remembered her parents taking her here when she was very young. It had been so grand and magnificent then. Seeing it now, rotting and ruined almost brought a tear to her eye.

"Before we go any further, I want to give you guys something." Cherry said, suddenly remembering the pack she was carrying on her back. She flopped it on the ground and the others gathered around her, eager to see what was inside.

"Ah perfect, you brought the weapons with you. Amazing work sweetie." Robbie smiled, grabbing a sword handle out of the bag, igniting the blade to show off its sleek design and sharpness. He also grabbed a shield and Purah reached in a grabbed a katana type blade, and Cherry took the spear. Which meant there was only one weapon left for Sophie, and she was relieved to see it.

"Here." Purah said, handing her a bow made of Sheikah tech. If you say you're a good shot, you'll be even better with this. When we get up there, do what we discussed. Stay away from the battle and keep an eye on us from a distance. Be ready to fire whenever needed. Are you sure you're… prepared to do what you have to when the time comes?"

Sophie gulped, but nodded her head. She always felt guilty whenever she accidentally squished a bug, and now she was in a position where she might have to actually kill someone. The thought made her sick, but she was determined not to let Purah and the others down.

"Good. Now let's go see who out unwanted visitors are."

"Sophie, climb that ridge overlooking that sharp cliff. Its just above the chamber were going to, and it'll be a good place for you to keep watch. Keep us covered girl, you got this!" Purah said with a wink and a smirk. Sophie nodded sharply and took off for the ridge.

"Why the ridge?" Cherry asked. "It overlooks the chamber but won't give her a good vantage point of down below. How will she cover us if she can't see us?"

"Because I don't want her to be a part of this." Purah sighed. "She's a sweet girl, but I've never seen her fight or shoot. She's always been shy and awkward, so I'm not too confident in her abilities in battle. Plus… if anything were to happen to her, that would be on me. And I don't want that on my conscience. There would be hell to pay if Mo got back and found out."

"You really think he made it out of there alive?" Robbie asked dryly.

"No. But there's always room for hope. If there was even a sliver of a chance he made it out, then ill keep hoping he comes back. But right now, we have other things to worry about. You hear that?" Purah asked, putting a finger up to her ear.

"Sounds like hammering." Robbie noted. "Let's go."

As they approached the Shrine of Resurrection, they began to hear voices in the tunnel.

"Hurry up Tanke, bust the thing open already! How hard can it be?" The voice was a woman's, and she sounded impatient.

"You care to try it then?" said the one who was apparently doing the hammering.

"I'm good. I thought the slate you still from that Hylian was supposed to open the door. Why didn't it work?" the woman asked.

"Do you see a pedestal out here Rey?" the man… no the Goron asked. The voice was too gruff to be a regular man's voice. "His slate worked at the castle because he had a pedestal to hook it up to. I'm not seeing one here!"

"That's because it's on the inside." Purah piped up, standing at the top entrance to the tunnel. He sudden input caused the two down below to jump. "We did a little modifying to the chamber before we put it to use. It will open only from the inside once the process is complete." She said smugly.

The woman with red hair who must have been a Gerudo scowled.

"Nukk is doing a terrible job of scouting for us. So much for keeping watch. Oh well. You must be those Sheikah Scientists our informants told us about. Purah and… Bobby was it?"

"Robbie." Robbie said, unamused. Mind telling us what you're doing exactly. And while you're at us, go ahead and tell us about these informants. Sounds interesting"

"Our Yiga informants. They're scattered all throughout Hyrule, keeping tabs on everyone's movements and locations. Once we took care of mister hero in there, we were coming for you two next. Looks like you saved us the trouble by coming to us instead." Rey sneered. "We also planned to eliminate them as well. They worship the Calamity. They're freaks, but they're useful freaks."

"You guys are seriously messed up in the head you know that? I almost feel bad for having to kill you. But, you know about the location of the chamber, so I'm afraid we can't let you leave." Robbie commented sharply igniting his sword and shield. Purah and Cherry also ignited their weapons, looking down on Rey and Tanke.

"You really think this is going to end well for you three? You're scientists, not soldiers." Rey mocked as she drew her twin scimitars. "Keep working on that door Tanke. Do whatever you can. Ill take care of these three.

The two sides looked at each other, both nervous, but determined to win the fight that was about to ensue.

 **End of Chapter 19**


	21. Chapter 20 - Crushing Blow

Rey wasted no time pushing the Sheikah out of the tunnel. Spinning her twin scimitars, she was able to bash away at all three of them, freeing herself up for more attacks and more room. Purah, Robbie, and Cherry attacked the Gerudo all at once, but her speed and agility was something they hadn't anticipated, even from a warrior Gerudo.

Each swing of the sword or strike from a spear was parried expertly and returned with a counter attack twice as strong. Rey began to move so fast she was almost a blur, taking on all three opponents at once. She was right. Purah and Robbie were expert scientists, and could hold their own against monsters, and maybe even Guardians. But there was no way they'd be able to stand up to the likes of a highly trained Gerudo soldier.

"Purah!" Robbie shouted. "Goron! Door! Now!"

Purah understood and quickly left the fight with Rey, barely dodging a swing from Rey's scimitar. She would have to leave the fight to Robbie and Cherry. Protecting that chamber was their top priority. She hurried down to the tunnel where Tanke was still hammering away, and swung her blade down on the Goron, only to have it bounce harmlessly off her rock hard back. Tanke grunted with surprise, and turned to face his attacker, swinging his hammer down hard, cracking the ground beneath them.

Purah dodged and tried to lure him out of the tunnel and away from the chamber. Her plot worked, and he angrily swing his hammer again and again, cracking the floor, the wall, and anything else he came into contact with. He even smashed the ground so hard that a sizable portion of the stairs leading down the chamber cracked and turned to rubble. Hopefully when Link awoke, he would be able to climb his way out. Otherwise this would all have been for nothing.

Tanke was fast. Absurdly fast for a Goron. Purah was unsure where he got his speed and training from, but after a few failed attempts to pierce his chest with her blade, it became clear he must have done something to harden his skin. She wasn't going to be able to kill him with her blade. Then she got an idea. She remembered the exact layout of the plateau and knew exactly where to lead him. She continued to dodge his strikes and lead him away, passing Robbie and Cherry still fighting viciously against Rey.

All three were not battered and bruised. Robbie had a deep cut on his cheek, while Cherry had several cuts and scraps along her arms and face. Rey fared no better, as she was also bleeding and looked sick. But Purah continued leading Tanke away, trusting that her comrades would be able to take care of themselves.

She led him down the slope that lead to the chamber and hopped down the cliffside into the Forest of Spirits, laughing delightfully, trying to get a rise out of the Goron to ensure he would keep following her. Of course, it worked, and Tanke jumped off the cliff, landing with a loud BANG when he hit the ground, apparently unphased by the height of the jump. Purah dashed through the forest, ducking and weaving through the trees, while Tanke simply smashed them out of the way with his hammer.

Eventually Purah came to the place she remembered. A small bog of tar. She carefully positioned herself in front of the bog, bracing herself for the next swing. If all went according to plan, he would miss and stumble into the bog. But Purah was taken by surprise as the Goron stopped several meters away rom the edge of the vile liquid.

"You really think I'm that stupid Sheikah?" Tanke roared as her.

"Well actually yeah I was hoping so." Purah smirked, laughing as Tanke's face contorted with rage.

"We Gorons aren't as dumb as everyone else thinks. I know my limits and I know why you led me here, but your plan wont work. Its just me and you now. You really think a puny little woman like you can defeat me?" Tanke boasted, creeping ever so slightly closer to Purah.

Purah was about to reply when they suddenly both heard crashing through the trees. They stopped to look, and suddenly a flash of blue illuminated the tree line, and a concentrated blast of energy hit Tanke square in the chest, sending him flying to the ground. Purah looked to see a Guardian scrambling through the woods, with some sort of figure on top. Mo!

"Get em bud! This is for trying to blow me up you bastard!" Mo shouted from atop the Guardians head, and Gully grabbed Tanke by the ankle and tossed him towards the pit of tar. Purah ducked out of the way, and the blasted Goron struggled to get to his feet. But before he could regain his composure, Purah kicked as hard as she could, sending him toppling into the pool of tar.

Tanke struggled to remain afloat, but Gorons were not good swimmers. They were so heavy they sunk like a rock. And with the thickness of the tar, he couldn't even move his arm to reach out for the edge. He roared insults at Mo, Purah, and Gully, and then his head submerged below the surface of the pond. A couple bubbles floated to the top, and then they stopped.

Mo hopped down and helped Purah to her feat. She graciously accepted, and quickly jumped on him to embrace him.

"Its good to see you too Purah" Mo laughed, hugging her back. But the happy reunion was cut short when a dark shape dipped out of the sky, smashing into the two, and sending Purah flying into the pit of tar as well. Luckily Mo was able to grab her arms before she completely submerged and pulled her out. He turned just in time to see Nukk flying up towards the chamber.

"Come on! We have to help Robbie and Cherry!" Purah shouted, grabbing Mo by the arm and leading him up. Mo simply stopped her and lead her instead to Gully.

"Mind giving us a ride up?" he asked, to which Gully beeped and whirled happily, lifting the two of them onto his head, and made a bee line for the cliffside. Using his claws, he began to scale the cliff and make their way up to where Robbie and Cherry were now fighting. Upon reaching the top, they were just in time to witness Nukk hurling Robbie into the nearest cliffside, sending him into a daze.

Now Cherry fought Rey alone, and to Purah's surprise, was able to hold her own. She was able to keep the Gerudo at bay with her spear, most likely killing time for Robbie to rejoin the fight. Cherry was able to catch Rey slightly off guard, sending the tip of her spear into the Gerado's leg, sending her to her knees. Before she could strike again, Nukk swooped in, clawing at her face with his talons, giving Rey enough time to stumble back to her feet. She approached Chery and Nukk, rising her scimitar, when Gully let loose a barrage of several small blasts, pushing Rey back and forcing her to retreat.

Robbie was back on his feet once again as well, and was making his way to Cherry, when Nukk suddenly divebombed and grabbed her by her shoulders, causing her to drop her spear. Everyone on the battlefield suddenly felt a sudden increase in wind pressure below them, and Nukk soared high into the sky with Cherry in tow.

"Impossible!" Purah gaped. "I've only ever seen one other Rito make an updraft that powerful!"

When Nukk reached his full height of his updraft, the combatants on the ground could only watch in horror as he let go of Cherry, sending her tumbling back to the ground. She tried to slow her fall, but it was no use. She let out a sharp scream just moments before she hit the ground with a loud thud. Mo heard several cracks, and Cherry lay on the ground, motionless.

Everyone stood deathly still for a couple moments. Then Mo came to his senses, and quickly aimed his grapple as the Rito. He shot, and somehow, he was able to latch on, catching Nukk by surprise. Mo let out a blood curdling yell, as he retracted his cord, and swung his arms in an arc, slamming Nukk into the ground. He drew his sword and swung as him, slicing his beak and right wing. Robbie was still in shock, while Gully took aim at the Rito as well. His blast missed but struck close enough to catch several of his wings on fire.

Nukk began to panic as he quickly became cornered, and once again performed an expert updraft. However, he was still connected to Mo's cord, and he pulled as hard as he could, while Purah came to help weigh him down, preventing Nukk from escaping.

"What are we going to do!?" Mo asked. "His updraft is too strong. My cables aren't able to pull him back down!"

Before Purah could come up with an answer, they heard a loud, pained squawk, and the updraft suddenly stopped. They jumped back as Nukk landed at their feat, twitching slightly, with three arrows lodged in his chest. They two turned to see Sophie coming up to them, with another arrow drawn, ready to fire.

"Are you guys okay?" She shouted. "Mo!!" She ran up to him and squeezed him tight in her arms. Her happiness quickly turned sour however when she saw the sight of Robbie holding Cherry's mangled body.

"There's still one more!" Purah shouted. "The Gerudo! She got away, we have to find her!"

"I don't think that's going to be a problem. Look!"

They all turned to see Gully blasting at something in the distance. Threw the smoke, Rey ran straight towards Gully, with Cherry's spear in her hand.

"Oh crap, lets go! Gully needs out help!" Mo shouted, wasting no time to go to his friend's aide. Mo used his grapples to hook onto the trees and pull himself forward even faster. He reached Gully just in time to see Rey dodge the last of his energy blasts and scale his body, leaping forward and plunging her spear directly into Gully's eye.

"NO!" Mo shouted, as Gully whined and glitched, stumbling back and slamming into some trees. His mechanical legs gave out underneath him and he slumped to the ground. A frothing rage erupted from inside Mo as he watched Rey pull the spear him his friend and try to run off. He wasted no time aiming his grapple and fired. Despite bobbing and weaving through the trees, he managed to impale her in her left forearm, causing her to yelp with pain. Mo quickly jumped to the right and aimed his other grapple, impaling her other arm. He retracted both cords, and because he fired his shots from both sides of a large tree, Rey slammed directly into the trunk. He pulled as hard as he could, and Rey was effectively shackled to the tree trunk.

Purah, Sophie and Robbie approached, with Robbie still holding his blade. Mo couldn't see his face, but he could feel the emotions that must be running through his head. Rey struggled the break free, but her battles had left her wounded and tired. Robbie approached her with a blank look on his face.

"You're gonna kill me Sheikah? Don't you think its wrong to kill an unarmed prisoner?" Rey mocked, trying to throw Robbie off. "You're really gonna stoop that low?"

"Yep," Robbie replied dryly, and rammed his blade through her chest. The thrust was so powerful, that the blade rammed through her body, and out the other side of the tree. When Mo released his grapples, her body remained attached to the tree. Robbie collapsed in anguish, and Purah went to comfort him. Meanwhile, Mo ran to Gully's side.

"Hey bud. How… how ya feeling?" He asked nervously. Gully was slow to respond. His beeps and whirls were glitchy and cut short. His eye flickered as his lifeforce began to diminish. His internal core couldn't sustain such a blow.

"Robbie! Purah! Come here now!"

The two were slow to respond, but the urgency behind Mos voice made them come to him.

"Do you think you can help repair him? He got struck in the eye."

"Mo, there's no way to repair that. Even if we could do something about it, it wouldn't be permanent. It would only be a temporary fix." Purah said softly.

"It doesn't need to be permanent. Just long enough to get him to Hateno Village. There's something I want to show him before we lose him. Please?" He whispered, tears welling in his eyes.

"Purah, go get Cherry." Robbie said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Were taking her back to Hateno as well. Ill help Mo with Gully."

Purah didn't respond, but silently obeyed Robbie's request.

"Come on kid. Let's see what we can do for our friend here."

 **End of Chapter 20**


	22. Epilogue

Robbie quickly got to work using whatever materials necessary to temporarily fix Gully. It wasn't perfect by any means, but it would be enough to get him to Hateno Village. However, there was the problem of actually getting him there. Gully's joints couldn't handle the strain anymore, so Purah and Sophie went below to find a carriage in fairly decent shape. They could fix it up, take the top off, and use it to pull Gully and Cherry back to the village.

Gully seemed to groan as he attempted to lift himself onto the carriage, while everyone else tried their best to help him on. Then they hooked up the carriage to the horses and began their journey back home. The trip lasted two days, but hardly anyone spoke the entire time. While they had just pulled out a great victory over their enemies and ensured the resting place of the hero remained undisturbed, no one felt the need to celebrate. Even Purah, who was usually a bubbly fun personality stayed quiet and somber.

They passed the Twin Peaks and soon came upon Fort Hateno. Mo remembered being here all those years ago, on THAT day. The day everything changed and turned their world into ruins. He was surprised he was still alive. After everything he'd been through, it felt odd being back home again, despite wanting nothing more then to be here not long ago. They passed the fort and came up to the remains of Mo's old village. As usual, he was saddened by its sorry state, but after seeing what the rest of the world was like, and how devastated everything had become, the thought of repairing the ruins of the town seemed fruitless.

They made their way up the hill and came up upon Hateno Village. The whole town was gathered at the gates, excited for their return.

"Welcome back Mo! Tell us everything!"

"Did you see the castle? What about any survivors!"

But everyone fell silent when they saw Gully being pulled in, and the somber looks on everyone's faces. Mayer Reede approached Mo.

"Is everything alright? Should I call an emergency town meeting?" He asked.

Mo just shook his head. "No. A meeting will happen, but it can wait. There's… something we need to take care of first."

The crowd parted and made way for the carriage. Some retreated in fear, others looked on with curiosity. No one dared to come close. Robbie picked up Cherry and began walking away.

"Where are you going?" Purah asked, concerned.

"I'm going to bury her. By that shrine, under the tree. She always loved Sheikah tech. Its how we met and fell in love. I figured it was a good place for her to rest."

No one argued as Robbie left. Mo hoped he would be okay and would have to check on him later. The rest of the group carried on, passing through Hateno Village. Passed the dye shop, the mayors house, the residential shops, the milk bar. Finally, they reached Purah's lab. The sun was setting, but they got right to work. Purah headed up to the top of her lab and began hooking up some sort of crane. Sophie helped while Mo stayed with Gully. The Guardian was more or less unresponsive but would occasionally let out a couple beeps in response to Mos comments, letting him know he was still active. Once the girls were finished with the crane, they hooked Gully up and began to hoist him up. It was late into the night now, but they continued their work. Finally, Gully was lifted all the way to the top of Purah's lab, where she had constructed a nest of sorts. A series of poles to support Gully atop her roof.

"Will this do for your request?" Purah asked him. Mo nodded, and unhooked his friend. Purah put his hand on his shoulder to say goodbye and pat the Guardian on the leg.

"It was nice meeting you Gully. Thank you for everything dear." Purah said softly, before hopping back down to the ground. Sophie looked like she wanted to stay with Mo, but after reading his face, she seemed to find it better to leave him alone for now. Finally, it was just Mo and Gully, sitting atop the lab.

They had worked so late into the night; the sun was now beginning to rise. As predicted, Gully let out a weak, but happy beep. His blue eye glowed dimly as he stared intently at the rising sun. Mo smiled. He always preferred the sunset, but Gully always made a point to watch the sunrise before they ever set out on their daily adventures. Now he would get to do that forever. Purah promised not to move him, even when he began to rust and fade away.

The sun rose higher, and Gully draped his mechanical leg over Mo, who had propped himself against Gully's frame. Then without warning, his lights flickered off. His happy beeping went silent, and it was just Mo left. He tried to fight back tears, but the urge was too great. There was no one up here to see him, and even if there was he didn't care. He finally let loose all the emotions he had been holding onto all this time. Seeing the death at Zora's Domain, learning about the world, dying and coming back to life, seeing his friend die. It wasn't fair. None of it was. Most of the people who died didn't deserve it.

But it happened. There was no going back. The best he could do was keep on living his life in the ruins of his old, broken kingdom, and hope things would get better. He decided then and there, looking up at Gully's now empty shell, that he would do what he could to honor him and everyone else who died. Everything they fought for wouldn't be in vain. He would get a team together, and he would rebuild Hyrule. For the rest of his life if that's what it took. He would build stables in every region of Hyrule, rebuild towns and villages, and kill any monster who threatened to stop him. It was a good plan. But… it seemed like something was missing. But what?

"Hey." Sophie greeted him, climbing up the ladder and sitting down on the roof next to Mo. "You okay?"

Mo just grunted and shrugged. He didn't want to admit he was just crying his eyes out, but his eyes must have spoke volumes because Sophie didn't press it.

"I thought it was best to leave you alone for a while. Your parents are looking for you though. I said I would come find you, but I can tell them I can't find you if you'd like." She offered.

"No, it's alright I'll go. Just… in a bit. I'm gona stay up here a little longer."

"Is it alright if I stay too? Or do you want to be alone?" She asked.

"No, you can stay."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, neither one knowing what to say. Sophie finally broke to silence.

"I like your tunic. It looks good on you. Purah said that it was something called a champions tunic."

Mo couldn't help but chuckle a bit upon hearing that.

"Yeah, that's what I was told to. I don't feel like much of a champion though. If anything, you should be wearing this. That was some good shooting earlier. We almost lost that fight if it hadn't been for you."

"Thanks," Sophie blushed. "But I think you and Gully are the real heroes here. You guys came just in time. And Robbie and Purah told me what you did out there. You were so brave."

Mo was silent. Brave? Never. He spent his time stumbling around blindly coming up with suicidal plans that only luckily succeeded. Still, he didn't have the heart to argue. And if Sophie thought he was brave, he was okay with that.

Without even realizing it, he slipped his fingers in between hers, and their fingers interlocked. Sophie didn't seem at all surprised and squeezed tighter rather then pulling away. They sat there for a bit, watching the morning sun rise, not saying a word. They heard a voice from below.

"Hey! You two love birds up there?" Purah shouted from the ground. 'They mayor wants to have the meeting now and I figured you guys should be there once, you know, you're the reason behind it!"

"Oh geez." Mo sighed. "I don't think I'm ready for that yet."

"Its okay" Sophie said, looking at him with a smile. 'Ill be there with you. And Purah and Robbie too. You'll be fine."

Mo smiled, and let go of Sophies hand. They two of them climbed down to a smirking Purah, who despite experiencing what she did at the Plateau, was back to her usual bubbly self, making kissing noises at the two. They simply smiled and walked down the hill towards the town holding hands.

"Eeeeeek you guys are too cute! It's about time." Purah squealed from behind them.

"Is this what we should be expecting from you from now on Purah?" Mo asked, trying to hide a smile.

"All day every day sir!"

"I think I'm okay with that." He chuckled, continuing his way towards town hall.

It was time to share his adventure with the village. But like Sophie said, he wouldn't be alone. And never would have to be again. Maybe life in the ruins wasn't so bad after all.

"Come on. Let's not keep the town waiting. Everyone's dying to know about your adventures. We shouldn't keep them waiting." Purah piped up, and the three of them took off down the hill. Finally, everyone was together again and truly happy again for the first time in a long, long time.

 **End of Life in the Ruins**


End file.
